Back in Black
by BlueEyedWolf33
Summary: Third Installment of Sam Greene Series. Being sucked into an inter-dimensional portal was not on my list of things to do today. Neither was losing an intern in a shady warehouse. Or getting shot at or nearly blown up. Or getting infected with an ancient weapon. Or meeting Thor's parents. Being the Guardian of the Earth was easy. Being the girlfriend to a God... Not so much. Thor/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Thor: The Dark World. I don't own anything licensed by Marvel. I don't own Thor but I'm sure everyone reading this wished that they did. **

**I do however, own Sam Greene and my plot line.**

**Third Person's POV**

Long before the birth of light, there was darkness. And from that darkness came the Dark Elves.

Millennia ago, the most ruthless of their kind, Malekith sough to transform our universe back into one of eternal night and complete darkness. Such evil was possible through the power of the Aether, an ancient force of infinite destruction that took the form of a strange liquefied metal that screeched and hissed as it churned in upon itself for all eternity.

The noble armies of Asgard, led by Odin's father, the valiant and wise King Bor, waged a mighty war against these creatures in hopes of stopping the threat of an everlasting darkness and restoring light to the Universe.

As the Nine World converged above him on the battlefield, Malekith could at last unleash the Aether, in doing so, taking the all the various worlds and realms for himself. But, with the sacrifice of many brave and valuable lives, Asgard ripped the weapon away from his grasp at a moment of weakness. Without it, the Dark Elves fell.

Now, with the battle all but lost, Malekith sacrificed his own people in a desperate attempt to lay wast to Asgard's army, a strong hate for the accursed immortals forever festering in the pit of his stomach.

Malekith was vanquished and the Aether was no more.

Or so we were led to believe.

* * *

Jane had only been minding her own business, trying to decide what she wanted to order for her midday meal when her assistant came stomping into the high dollar restaurant where she was with her date. Things had been going... well. Or at least that was her opinion anyway.

"Hi. Could we get some wine, please?" Richard, her aforementioned date, asked who he thought was their waitress but really turned out to be Jane's young colleague.

"Sure, I'd love some." The brunette with the beanie atop her head replied, a smile on her face which only caused the dark haired man to raise an eyebrow before glancing back over at the woman across from him.

Jane groaned both inwardly and outwardly but it was definitely louder on the inside. "Richard, this is Darcy." She looked to her friend who was giving her a thumbs up in regards to the handsome man sitting across from her. Apparently, she approved. "What are you doing here?"

As her intern dragged a chair over from one of the adjacent tables, it made a huge scrapping noise that filled the quiet silence engulfing the tranquil restaurant.

"Oh. Hello." Richard murmured, not expecting their date to be broken up like it was.

Darcy took a seat in her chair before nabbing the physicist's knife and starting to spread butter across some of the complementary bread placed upon their table, neither customer having touched it yet. "So, I show up to work slash your mom's house, fully expecting you to be moping around in your pajamas, eating ice cream and obsessing about _you know who._"

Richard just made a small sound of recognition, having had this very discussion about Jane's mystery ex before her strange friend showed up.

"But you're not! You're wearing lady clothes! You even showered, didn't you? You smell _good_." The intern continued as she began to eat the bread, which, just to be clear, was amazing.

Jane felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, risking a glance to her date who only raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there a point to this? Because their really needs to be a point to all this." She murmured, her annoyance apparent.

"Right." Darcy said before putting her bread down and wiping her hands off on the sleeves of her jacket before reaching into the coat's pocket and retrieving a small handheld machine. "You know all that scientific equipment you don't look at any more? You might wanna start looking at it again. This is the reason we came all the way out here."

She handed it over to her friend who only gazed at it for a moment before frowning softly, the readings upon the screen not correct in the slightest.

"It's malfunctioning."

"That's what I said." Darcy told her, picking up her bread and taking another large bite. Jane then hit the device upon the table top in hopes of jogging something back into place internally. "That's what I did! I though you would do something a little more scientific." The brunette only looked at the device for a moment before rolling her eyes and looking back to her colleague.

"Did you call our... um, _supervisor_, about it?" She grumbled and it was apparent to both other inhabitants at the table that things between her and this supervisor they were speaking about weren't entirely good.

"Yes." The intern replied through a mouthful of bread.

"What did she say?"

"She asked if I tried turning it on and off again." Jane only rolled her eyes.

"Did you?"

"Yes." Darcy admitted, swallowing another hunk of bread before she began on her second roll. "And I told her that I hit it on the table to get it to work just like you did." The brunette ripped another corner off her snack, popping the smaller piece into her mouth before a nervous look crossed her features and she stopped chewing. "She yelled at me."

"I'm sure it's nothing." Jane smiled over at Richard before handing the machine back to Darcy who only scowled at it.

"It doesn't look like nothing. It kind of looks like the readings that Erik was rambling about." The strange girl took the machine back and looked over at Jane's apparent date. "Our friend, Erik, kind of went... _banana_ _balls_." She told him before waving her finger around her ear, signifying that their friend had most certainly lost his sanity.

"He's not interested." The physicist snapped, her eyes flashing angrily. "It's time for you to go now."

Darcy just looked at her old boss for a moment, not believing what she was hearing. "Okay." She said in a mockingly quiet voice, feeling a bit put out but she didn't show it. She was just doing her job.

There was a reason why Jane wasn't her favorite employer anymore.

She stood up from her chair and moved it back to its old table, making the terrible screeching sound that filled the restaurant again and causing a multitude of heads to turn in their direction.

However, when Darcy left, the traitorous thoughts that the intern had brought with her stuck in the brunette's head as she gazed down at the menu, not really reading the words on the page or even hearing what Richard had to say though she still heard it.

"Jane? Maybe you should stop saying 'sea bass' and go after your friend." She hadn't even realized that she was saying the phrase over and over again until he mentioned it. She only guiltily looked up from her menu, hope now lingering in her eyes.

"This was so fun." She lied easily to him but it was still apparent.

"I'll just stay here and say sea bass alone." Richard murmured, still looking at his menu, not even risking the physicist a glance.

She could only smile awkwardly at the man before apologizing as she slipped her coat on and left out the front door without even looking back, a long anticipated ball of anticipation churning in her stomach.

* * *

It wasn't hard to find Darcy or their borrowed car which was one of the ugliest little vehicles that she had ever seen. However, it got good gas mileage, had plenty of room for equipment, and was the most affordable thing they could rent on their budget despite the fact that their supervising manager seemed to get good pay, including a nice apartment and new lab equipment.

Pulling open the rickety door, the brunette slid into the seat beside Darcy who had been waiting patiently the whole time.

"And I hate you."

"What? I said he was cute!" The intern protested, looking completely innocent.

"Just shut up and drive."

Doing as she was told, Darcy put the key in the ignition and the tiny car roared to life before she shifted into gear and began to drive off down the road. They had been driving for a few minutes and had just started crossing a rather long bridge when something unexpected happened.

"You need to take a left." A third voice joined the two females and Jane gasped in surprise and fear when she heard the young man in the backseat speak.

"Who's he?" She breathed, her eyes wide.

"He's my intern." Darcy replied, a tight lipped yet smug smile upon her face.

"You have an _intern_?"

"Oh, yeah." She told her, finishing the small loaf of bread that she had managed to sneak out of the restaurant.

"H-Hello, Dr. Foster. It's a great honor to be working with you!" He replied though he stammered a bit, obviously nervous in the presence of one of his idolized physicists.

Jane just glanced over her shoulder at him for a moment before turning back to Darcy. "Is he getting paid?"

"Really? You think he's getting paid when I hardly do?!" The other brunette woman rolled her eyes, keeping her hands on the steering wheel, still chewing her snack.

"Who okayed this?"

"Our supervisor." The physicist just looked at her young colleague for a moment before shaking her head in disbelief and reaching for her phone in her pocket.

"Right. I have to call Erik."

* * *

"Alright. This is the place." The male in the backseat informed them and Darcy pulled the car to a halt in front of the vast parking lot surrounding a decrepit old industrial building.

A number of things looks out of whack at the place due to the fact that numerous shipping containers were standing upright the long way and a cement mixer is tipped on its side.

"It looks sketchy. I feel like we're going to be mugged." The young woman informed them, feeling unease bubble in the pit of her stomach. Jane only rolled her eyes again before getting out of the car and shutting the door behind her. "Hey!" Darcy called to her, rolling her window down and sticking her head out. "Where are you going?"

"To investigate the readings...?"

"Boss said not to go in there." Darcy called to her in a sing-song voice. These words caused Jane to stop.

"Then _why_ did she send us here?"

"She just told me to wait! She said something about it possibly being extremely dangerous and that she would meet us here."

The physicist just looked around the abandoned warehouse, her lips pressed together in a firm line. She then threw her arms out wide before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, I don't see her anywhere... So, I'm just going go in and start without her!" She shot her intern an innocent smile before turning away and shoving her hands into her pockets, the cold London air nipping at her fingers.

"B-But boss said not to!" Darcy called after her, opening the car door and stepping out of the driver's seat. Her intern followed her actions, remaining silent as he did so, the abandoned buildings also causing anxiousness to bloom in him as well.

"She's not my boss!" Jane called back to her as she continued to walk away from the red car and further into the empty warehouse parking lot.

"Uh... Well, she _is_ your supervisor."

"It's not the same thing."

"Actually..." Darcy scrunched up her nose as if she were thinking really hard, her voice raising a few octaves. "I think they are actually synonyms..."

"Are you _coming_ or _not_ Darcy?!" The physicist snapped, having had enough of her intern's suddenly bossy attitude.

"Alright, alright. Jeez. Someone's grumpy today." Her colleague replied, holding her hands up in surrender before begrudgingly following behind Jane with her own intern just on her heels.

Oh boy, were they going to get thoroughly scolded for this.

* * *

As they entered into the deserted building, all three scientists could only let their heads swivel around as they gazed in awe around the vast emptiness around them.

Despite the fact that it was decrepit and beaten down, the older building held a sort of silent grace about it. The dim light was able to break through the thick European clouds and stream into the glass ceiling upon the second floor, further illuminating the vastness of the long room.

A blanket of leaves carpeted the tile flooring, crunching beneath their feet with every step they took. Pigeons also cooed and hooted at them before flapping their wings loudly as they were disturbed by the newest visitors.

However, they startled the three of them and when they turned back around, they watched as a number of human-like shadows danced across the wall.

"I am not getting stabbed in the name of science." Darcy murmured in an attempt to lighten the mood except for the fact that she was actually concerned about being mugged. You never knew with British people.

Sometimes, they were almost _too_ nice.

"It's okay, we're Americans!" She tried in an attempt to save her own skin, holding her hands up in surrender.

"Is that supposed to make them like us?" Jane murmured, subconsciously taking a small step closer to her young intern in case she needed to use her as a human shield.

"They'll make it go away!"

"Shh!" Came two quiet voices as suddenly and a group of three children stepped out from their hiding places consisting of thick cement columns and behind a distant corner.

"Oh, they're kids..." The physicist breathed in relief, glad that it actually wasn't someone dangerous. She really didn't plan on dying that day.

"Are you the police?" The lone, young Indian girl asked, stepping forward, worry evident in her large, dark eyes.

"No. We're scientists." Jane told them before pausing and glancing back to the others accompanying her. "Well... I am."

"Thanks." Darcy murmured, shooting her boss a pointed look, one that was very unappreciative. After doing all she had for Jane, that was the best she got. _Not_ a scientist.

"We just found it." One of the boys accompanying the girl replied. These words caused all three new arrivals to frown softly.

"Can you show us?" Jane asked them and she watched as the girl exchanged an uncertain look with her friends before turning back to the lady and nodding slowly.

The older looking of the two boys sighed before he began to walk off, his friends right on his tail.

He eventually led them into another huge room with a lone cement truck but that wasn't the strange part.

The truck's tires weren't touching the ground.

All three arrivals watched with wide eyes as the same boy stepped forward and using two fingers, lifted up on the bumper and the entire thing began to slowly rotate in the air.

"That doesn't seem right..." Darcy murmured, the only one out of the three scientists who could seem to speak.

The kids then led them out of the room and up a tall and spirally outdoor staircase. The second boy then produced a glass bottle from his bag before he began to race upward until he was on a higher level than the rest of them were.

He then leaned out over the railing before holding the bottle out into the open air before he dropped it.

All of them watched it begin to fall but right before it hit the ground, it disappeared, vanishing into thin air.

"Where'd it go?" Jane asked, her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked over at the kids.

The little girl pointed upward and once again, all three visitors looked skyward and watched with amazement as the bottle reappeared above them before it began to fall again, only to disappear like it did the first time. It then reappeared above them and this process happened a few more times before the other boy caught it.

"That's... That's _incredible_!" Jane told them, not believing her eyes.

She then turned from her place at the railing and she found a can lying discarded on the cracked stairs before picking it up and trying it for herself. However, when she dropped the can, she watched as it disappeared and raised her head to watch it fall through again, only for nothing to happen.

"What happened?"

"Sometimes they come back. Sometimes they don't." Explained the little girl and Jane only turned to look at Darcy, her mouth still hung open slightly in shock. She then glanced at the same strange little machine from before and her mind flickered back to the mishap nearly two years ago.

She reached out and took it into her palms, examining the readings on screen.

"I haven't seen readings like this since..."

"New Mexico?" Darcy beamed, finishing her old boss's sentence for her.

In realization, Jane's mouth only hung open with excitement and she pushed passed Darcy, her mind racing a million miles an hour.

"Don't touch _anything_!" She warned them before rushing off and climbing the rest of the staircase, leaving the intern to only smirk to herself.

"Yeah, I'm going to get my head ripped off for this."

Jane continued onto the upper levels of the warehouse, examining the scientific reader the entire time, a soft frown pulling at her features.

The laughter of the children could still be heard just down the hall as they enjoyed throwing things into the seemingly endless portal somehow located on Earth.

The machine in her palm began to beep rapidly just as the wind picked up and the physicist felt a spark of excitement light inside of her before she moved off, further away from her friends and the children.

As she came waltzing around a corner, she heard a strange noise and turned to look down the hallway to her right, the signals on the machine becoming stronger.

Once again, the wind began to pick up and the leaves behind her stirred. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, she was suddenly yanked forward by an unseen force towards a dark doorway before she disappeared.

She then reappeared in a different place, one that was definitely not part of the warehouse and the for the first time ever, Jane really wished that she would have done what her boss told her.

* * *

Bullets whizzed by her head and as she ducked out of the way, she failed to notice her phone ringing and buzzing in the pouch at her hip.

Suddenly, beside her, there was an deafening sound from an explosion from a grenade that caused sand to rocket high into the sky. She was easily knocked away by the force of the impact but she was left relatively unharmed much to her own relief but her mind was a bit hazy for a moment.

Cursing and grumbling the entire way, she clumsily lifted her discarded body up out of the sand before crawling over into one of the various abandoned clay houses that was part of the dangerous battlefield around her.

With a quiet sigh of relief, she fell back against the wall, happy that she could finally have a second to breath but it was at this moment that she realized that something was vibrating in her pocket.

Pulling her phone out, she raised it to her ear, not even bothering to look at the contact due to the fact that her hazel eyes were busy searching the distant landscape for approaching trouble.

"Hello?"

"_Boss_?" She easily recognized the woman's voice on the other end of the phone, having just spoken to her again that very morning and she felt both a mild wave of annoyance and confusion when receiving the call.

"What's happening, Darcy?"

"_Eh... Not much_." She replied, her tone sounding strange to her boss's ears who in return frowned.

"Did you go check out the location of the spike I told you about?"

"_Yeah_."

"What did you find?"

"_Uh... Well, we found a lot more than we bargained for_." This caused the woman holding the phone to pause for a moment, not liking what she was implying and she narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"You went into the place, didn't you?" She accused.

Her young colleague just laughed though it sounded fake and strained. "_Well, you see, that's the thing_..."

"I told you not to go in there!" She hissed, hearing the sudden sound of gunfire in the distance so she pressed herself further against the wall of the home, hoping to hide herself in the shadows.

"_That's what I said! I told Jane not to!_" Darcy protested and the woman only narrowed her eyes. "_Which, uh, also brings me to my next order of business_..." The line was silent for a moment as Darcy tried desperately to gather her courage. "_We lost Jane_."

"WHAT?!" She shouted and at that exact moment, more gunfire filled the air and she felt pain bloom in her right upper arm, the one that was exposed to the open doorway. She immediately dropped the phone and with a loud, "_Shit_!", she pressed her palm to her suit jacket, finding that scarlet liquid was spilling from between her fingers at an alarming pace.

"_Hello_?" She heard come through the headset of the speaker, despite the loud sound of bullets being exchanged in the air. "_What happened?_!"

She simply sat there in pain for a moment before reaching out with her wounded hand and picking up the phone, the adrenaline in her system dulling the pain some so that it was at least manageable.

"Sorry, Darcy."

"_You sound busy. Should I call back later at a better time_?" The intern asked and the woman shifted, making sure to keep the hold she had on her arm tight to stop the bleeding. More gunshots were heard just outside the house she was in and she flinched before balling herself up slightly in hopes of protecting herself.

"No you're fine. How I see it, I'm probably gonna be this busy for awhile." She jumped when a bullet grazed the stone doorway beside her head. She also heard Darcy say something over the phone but didn't hear her. "What?!" She called back into the phone but another explosion caused the words to become silent on her ears as well. "Darcy, I can't hear you BECAUSE ALL THESE GODDAMN AL QAEDA SOLDIERS WON'T STOP SHOOTING AT ME FOR FIVE FUCKING SECONDS!" She had leaned out of the door while she shouted this and she was amazed when the gunfire ceased and all was quiet for a moment. "Thank you."

And sure enough, five seconds later, the war started up again, a string of gunfire hitting the side of the house and she quickly rolled back inside.

"_Did you just scream something about Al Qaeda_?!" Her young intern replied, her tone now sounding very worried. "_Where are you even at? When I talked to you this morning, all you said was that it was important_!"

"Afghanistan." The woman just winced, continuing to apply pressure to the wound. "Oh, you know, just taking care of some rogues. Nothing big." She looked down at the wound and found that the bullet had only grazed her shoulder, leaving just a bloody mess. She felt anger swell inside of her and she turned back to look at the advancing soldiers outside. "Hold up, Darcy. My service may get a little fuzzy over here."

"_Why? Are they cutting the phone lines_?"

"No." Her boss replied before pushing herself to her feet and running outside. Still holding the phone to her ear, she felt her brow furrow and she raised her hand and made a sweeping motion with it, one that churned up a strong air current. "I just started a sandstorm." She told her intern who was stunned into silence, still not having entirely gotten over that little detail of her boss. "By the way... YOU _LOST_ JANE?"

"_We were just looking around the building and then she just... vanished_." The girl replied, easily sliding from one topic to the next.

"How do you _lose_ a _person_?"

_"That question makes me uncomfortable_." Darcy replied and the woman on the other end of the phone couldn't help but smile and shake her head in disbelief. She knew there was a reason she liked the intern more than her other employees.

"Alright, Darcy, I want you to listen very closely to me." Her boss's tone suddenly took on one that was very serious. "Get out of there right now." There was a hint of nervousness in there, too. "I can't really leave right now but give me about an hour and I'll be there. When this is done, I gotta go home and shower. I smell like a camel." She heard the girl snort over the line and the howling wind whipped wildly around her as dust also swirled and churned in the air. She was, however, unharmed due to the fact that she stood in a small dome of air inside the raging storm. "See ya in a bit, Darcy."

"_Bye, Boss_."

* * *

On the dot an hour later, both Darcy and her own intern were back outside standing by their car, having given up in their search for Jane when they both got some creepy vibes from the place when the both of them swore up and down that they had heard voices whispering to one another.

Thing was? There was no one there.

The young brunette intern just pulled her phone from her pocket as she leaned against the door of their vehicle, frowning softly as she looked at the time that was projected at the top of her iPhone. It was exactly one hour after when she had called her supervising manager. She was supposed to be there.

Just as she opened her mouth to complain to her fellow researcher, she heard the roar of an approaching engine and both her and her male companion turned to watch as a car approached. A very, very nice car.

The deep blue Ferrari pulled to a rather graceful stop beside the little red station wagon and the two spectators couldn't help but let their eyes widen in awe of the vehicle as its engine purred beneath the unblemished and perfect paint job.

"Wow." Darcy murmured after finally finding that she could form words, her mouth having been hung open slightly.

Suddenly, the driver's side door opened and out stepped one of the most gorgeous, in Darcy's opinion, women to ever walk the face of the Earth. Despite the fact that she was dressed as a boy, or rather, in her field work gear, the woman still somehow managed to captivate them and make anyone in the surrounding area pale in comparison.

A pair of heavy, black combat boots clung to her feet as she stepped out onto the hard pavement on which her car sat. A pair of khaki cargo pants hung from her hips and were tucked into the boots. A dark gray wife beater tank top also covered her top while a charcoal gray jacket was draped around her shoulders with a black S.H.I.E.L.D. symbol adorned her left bicep. A pair of white sunglasses also adorned her face, hiding her eyes from her interns.

She suddenly turned to look over at them, her face holding a stern expression for a moment, one that caused Darcy to grimace internally. There was going to be yelling and lots of it. She could feel it in her bones.

But what she did next caught them off guard.

"Hey, kiddos." She suddenly beamed over at them, causing both of the interns to relax, thinking that she was absolutely going to explode on them like she had done numerous times with Jane.

"Hi, Sam." Darcy replied, silently reminding herself to not call her by her proper title. She had been mildly scolded for that before and didn't want it to happen again.

"H-Hello, Miss Greene." The male intern stuttered out, very intimidated by his... boss.

"Good afternoon, Ian." The blonde smiled over at him and he let his eyes widen slightly in shock. She... remembered his name!

"Wait, you're name's Ian?" Darcy turned to look at him, this new information catching him off guard. He only nodded his head and Darcy only looked mildly impressed. "Didn't know that. Well, speak up next time... _Ian_." She told him before looking back to her supervisor and eyeing the shimmering vehicle she had just arrived in. She reached out and touched the cool surface of the hood. "New car?"

"Yeah. All the way from Italy." Sam breathed in awe herself then, looking down at her newest gift with complete adoration in her eyes. "Late birthday present." She explained before also placing her hand upon the hood and running her finger over it, a small smile upon her face. "Handles like a dream."

"Can I be best friends with your best friends?" Darcy joked, laying her torso down upon the hood of the car and closing her eyes.

"Get off." Her boss warned her as soon as she had rested herself there. Immediately, she sat up, not liking the dangerous tone in the woman's voice. When she opened her eyes, she also found that her hazel eyes were burning with anger.

Darcy always knew that her boss was protective of any of her cars so she held her hands up in surrender and backed up a few steps.

"Thank you."

"Yeah... No problem." The brunette replied nervously, biting her lip to outwardly show her nerves. "Anyway, how was Afghanistan?"

"Hot as hell." The blonde female muttered as an after thought, letting her eyes flicker around the area for a moment, finding that they were one person short but that was what she expected due to the call she received earlier.

"Judging from the number of employees present, I can only deduce that you actually followed directions and left the creepy warehouse like I told you?" Sam teased them, pulling her sunglasses down on the bridge of her nose so that they could see the playful glint in her eyes.

"Yeah but it was _really_ hard." Darcy replied sarcastically and the blonde snorted quietly through her nose.

"Righty then..." She murmured before turning away from them and looking at the warehouse that lay before her.

As soon as she lay her eyes upon it, she knew that something was... off. There was a strange prickle in the air, a shift in the atmosphere, one that told her that something wasn't entirely right. She wasn't entirely sure what it was but it sure was unsettling and knocked all her senses up on high.

The hero only narrowed her eyes on it for a moment before she reached down into her pocket.

Withdrawing her own white iPhone, she held it extended to the female intern. "If I don't come back in about an hour, call the first three numbers on speed dial starting with number one. Try both one and two first and if neither of them pick up then call three but by all means, try one and two multiple times before that. I would really hate for you to call number three and bother... _him_."

"Gotcha." Darcy replied, taking the phone from her supervisor and looking at the contacts. "So, you want me to call 'Stark', then 'Rogers', and then-"

"Don't follow me!" She threw over her shoulder as she walked towards the deserted building, easily slipping into the role as Guardian of Earth, ignoring what Darcy was going to ask her.

As she approached the looming form in the distance, she took note of the tipped over cement truck and the shipping containers balanced on their ends. This struck her as a little odd but she said nothing and continued on.

When she made it inside, she only looked around for a minute, admiring the tranquil beauty that the place seemed to hold despite the eerie feeling that also lingered there.

Silently making her way into an adjoining room, she could stop and stare for a moment as she came upon another cement truck, only this one wasn't tipped on its side. No, it was upright but its tires weren't touching the ground. Taking a few cautious steps forward, she gripped the bottom of the right front tire and gently lifted upwards, not being surprised when the whole vehicle began to rotate slowly. She only gazed calmly at it for a moment, her brow furrowed.

"Well, somebody broke the physics in here..." Her voice echoed about the vast room before she moved further into the old warehouse, the gears in her mind beginning to turn.

She came upon a long set of hallways and just as she was about to walk passed, a strange wind churned up around her and she was suddenly yanked to the side. With panic sweeping through her, her hazel eyes widened and she reached down into her pocket, the cool feeling of glass meeting her palm and she quickly withdrew the weapon before she held it up.

Sam however, could do nothing when she disappeared inside a portal. Luckily, she was deposited unharmed on the other side and she stumbled for a moment before she was able to stop herself. She panicked for a moment, however, when she found herself balanced upon the edge of a huge cliff.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness in the room but when she did so, she only let her hazel irises scan the very dim place before she turned her head to the side when she heard footsteps.

Immediately raising her hand up, she pointed Chatnír at the other inhabitant in the room and the orb glowed brightly in anticipation of an attack but the blonde could only stare for a moment before sighing and lowering her arm as she took in the sight of her employee.

"Finally found you..." Sam breathed in relief, letting her eyes shut momentarily as she felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

"Oh, God. Not you." She muttered under her breath, not exactly happy to find that her boss had discovered her in a place she wasn't supposed to be in. "What do you mean 'finally'?" Jane asked, eyeing her supervisor carefully, wondering what she meant.

"You've been missing for over an hour."

"What?" The brunette breathed in disbelief, narrowing her brown eyes on her. "No, I've only been here a couple minutes."

The blonde only thought about this for a moment as she looked around the vastness of the cavern that they were in. "Time must run more quickly here."

"Where exactly do you think is here?" She pondered and both of them suddenly zeroed in on the towering column that lay in the center of the earthen bridge that they were standing on. A strange red glow came from the center of the column, one that made the blonde's stomach churn with uncertainty.

"I don't know." Sam replied, narrowing her eyes upon the strange rock sculpture. "I'm not even sure we're on Earth anymore."

Moving towards the strange object, she suddenly stepped into a dip and when she looked down, she caught sight of strange symbols upon the ground, ones that she easily recognized.

She immediately reached down and touched the imprint before her eyes widened and she looked around slightly. "The Bifrost..." She murmured, glancing around their dark surroundings before looking back to Jane, finally paying attention to the strange screeching noise that seemed to be coming from between the two halves of stone.

The brunette placed her hand upon the edge of the column and Sam's brow furrowed with worry and slight annoyance.

"Hey!" She got the physicist's attention, her hand still resting up what appeared to be the ancient stone. "What are you doing?" She nodded towards her hand. "This whole place screams '_Don't touch anything!_'"

But it seemed as though it was too late to not touch anything.

Without warning, a loud hissing and screeching sound filled the room as a stream of what appeared to be black, metallic sand lept from inside the crack in the rock and latched onto Jane's arm.

The blonde hero's eyes immediately widened and, gritting her teeth, she was across the distance separating them in a moment. Without thinking, she reached her hand out, which was electrified at a moment's notice, and latched onto Jane's covered arm before she let loose a strong electrical shock. She watched as the blue sparks danced across the metallic sand for a moment before it retracted slightly, almost letting the physicist go but not before a tiny piece slipped beneath her skin. This caused some relief to wash through Greene, glad that it had at least let her go.

But apparently it was because it deemed that it wasn't Jane that it wanted.

Almost in a renewed anger, the strange sand lashed out at her and grabbed hold of Sam's arm before it shot across the open air and grabbed her other arm, turning her towards the rock and pulling her in. Chatnír tumbled from her now opened palm, coming to bounce onto the stone ground beneath their feet before coming to a rest.

Gritting her teeth, she fought tooth and nail with her inhuman strength to stay away from the column but found that the battle was a loosing one, only able to resist for a few moments before she was secured against the rock.

Letting out a strangled cry of pain, she felt her entire torso become enveloped in the mysterious, almost liquid-like metallic substance and it felt like it was crushing her, trying to compact her into one tiny bundle of squished hero. It soon, however, began to snake up higher on her person, traveling up her throat then to her jaw line, making her feel as though she were suffocating and she began to panic. She tried stretching her neck out as far as possible, almost as if she were trying to keep her head above water but it was to no avail as the sand continued to swallow her.

It was only a second later that she tasted something strange in her mouth and then, all she knew was blackness.

* * *

**Guess who's back? Back again? Guess who's back? Tell a friend.**

**Hey, guys! What's up!?**

**I feel like I haven't talked to any of my readers in FOREVER. And I fell horrible about it. **

**So, yeah. First chapter of my new Thor story is out. I hope you enjoyed it. There will be a lot of wonderful fluff and feels moments in this story. I've seriously been anticipating this thing forever. **

**I know I said that I would publish this story earlier but I lied. **

**As you may or may not know, I have a very, very successful Hobbit story that I'm currently writing at the same time as this one. **

**However, I've sort of set it on the back burner for now, or at least until I got the first chapter of Back in Black out. So, yeah. **

**Things have been crazy lately and I just feel horrible about not doing anything for you guys. But don't worry, there will be more to come. You just have to give me some time. **

**YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!**

**Love, **

**Blue**


	2. Chapter 2

Hazel eyes flickered open, her pupils dilating due to the sudden change of light, causing her to wince due to the contrast between the sunlight and the dark.

Sam simply stared up at the ceiling above her, not entirely sure what had just happened or where she was even at. There was sort of a blur in her memory but as she lay there and began to organize her thoughts, she began to realize that she was in London and had been supervising a research team or... some other nonsense like that.

Honestly, she didn't care at the moment.

She then remembered that one of her scientists had gone missing and she had to intervene and find her. Sam remembered going into the warehouse after... Jane (she couldn't think of her name at the moment) and finding the cement truck that was defying all the laws of gravity... and... and...

That was it. There was nothing else after that. Just an unexplained void of blackness.

Continuing to lay there for a moment, she watched as a few birds flew by overhead outdoors before she sat up. With a soft frown upon her face, she used her hands to support her as she leaned back slightly before she looked herself over to check for any damage that had been done. When she found that nothing seemed out of place despite the dust from the floor clinging to her clothes, she instead looked around at the surrounding area.

She was lying on the ground of the same warehouse from before, her mind briefly flickering back and remembering that she had passed through this room at one point during her search for Jane.

It was only a moment later that Sam then decided to get up. For a half a second, her legs shook for an unknown reason but she soon turned confident that she could walk perfectly fine, relying on her otherworldly powers to help her. However, when she moved to take a step forward, both her legs seemed to protest the idea and instead she fell back to the ground with a loud curse.

A few minutes later, she once again tried to climb to her feet after she had army crawled across the ground over to one of the concrete columns in the room so that she may use it as a support. Grasping onto a few wide holes in the side of the pillar, she was able to haul herself upward only using her arms. She was thankful that she was strong for once.

Getting her legs beneath her was the easy part but as she gazed down at them, she narrowed her eyes on them with distrust, knowing that they could betray her at any moment and cause her to face plant again.

So, after a few minutes of waiting for strength to return to her legs, she felt as though she should try again. This time she succeeded in her actions and began to make her way through the large deserted building, going slow in case her legs decided to instantaneously give out again.

Not recalling the path she took to get into the building, she found herself lost at a four way section between two long hallways and she narrowed her eyes in concentration, a headache beginning to form in the back of her skull, not to mention the bullet wound on her arm was hurting like a bitch.

Glancing down all four possible routes, her memory now failed her and she let a quiet growl of frustration escape her throat before her eyes suddenly set themselves upon a window with light streaming in through it just down the hallway to her right.

Feeling an idea trickle into her skull, she felt a small smirk pull at her lips. She may be getting out of the maze sooner than she thought...

Jane herself groaned as she too had just awoken, her own memory fuzzy when it came to recalling the events that had just taken place a few minutes ago. Sitting up, she let her head fall into her hands due to the fact that it felt like her skull weighed a million and one pounds.

Rapid footsteps were suddenly heard coming through the doorway to her left which connected to a hallway and she glanced over at it. However, there was suddenly a large crash that sounded down the way in the vast room and she turned her head just in time to watch as a body fell through the thick glass of a window, a loud curse emanated as they landed in the heap of dirty shards.

A low groan came from the person's lips and Jane just watched as they rolled over before standing up as if nothing happened, brushing the glass and dust off their jacket.

Standing up to their full height, Jane watched as the woman flipped her bangs out of her eyes before looking around.

Apparently, she felt eyes on her and turned to look at the brunette, her eyebrows raising up slightly, showing her surprise. Jane herself was staring at her with wide eyes, her mind connecting two and two and she began to wonder to why the woman had seemingly been thrown through a window.

"Found you." Sam murmured, rubbing a dirty hand over her face as she did so, leaving a few streaks behind in its wake. "That's a relief... kinda." She murmured, quietly, trying not to outwardly show her distaste for her employee too much.

"Why were you just thrown through a window?!" She shouted, her voice echoing off the walls of the large room.

"No one threw me." Sam told her nonchalantly, her plan sounding better in her head. "I honestly thought it was going to get me outside." She explained, momentarily glancing back at the broken window. She was slightly disappointed to find herself still inside the warehouse, the bright glass ceiling leading her to believe that she was going to get outside due to the sun beaming in through the skylight.

"Do you happen to know a way out?" She jutted her thumb over her shoulder but Jane said nothing which only began to aggravate the blonde. "I mean, I could just start smashing through walls and stuff but-"

"No!" Jane finally spoke, holding her hand out to stop her. "I think I remember the way out!" She exclaimed, causing the heroine to relax some.

She slowly climbed to her feet, brushing the dirt off of her as she went. Jane looked around for a moment at the room before they suddenly looked at one another, apparently, they both felt something click in their head at the exact same moment.

The headache once lingering in the back of Sam's head intensified tenfold and she nearly doubled over in pain as a white hot pain stuck her in the memory centers of her brain. Her hands immediately shot to her head and she grit her teeth as a loud hiss of pain escaped from between her lips, having not felt pain like this since the Extremis all those months ago.

And then she remembered.

Being sucked into an interdenominational portal. Arriving in a huge, dark cavern. Nearly having killed Jane because she snuck up on her and scared the shit out of her. Both were intrigued by the strange pillar in the center of the room, a red glow coming from between the two parts of the stone. Bifrost symbols burnt upon the rocky ground around the column which caused hope to spark in Sam's chest. Jane touching the strange relic in the center of the vast cavern. Panic ensuing. Weird metallic liquid grabbing Jane. Sam attacking it. It attacking Sam and nearly suffocating her.

And then she woke up.

"WHAT THE _HELL_?!" Sam shouted as her headache vanished as soon as it arrived, catching Jane off guard as she was startled awake from her own recollection of what had happened, the blonde ultimately pissed. "Did you just get a... a replay, too?"

Jane slowly nodded, knowing that she was about to get shouted at.

"What about that entire situation screams _SUPER BAD_?!" Sam shouted, her hazel irises filling with anger. "That entire place just radiated bad feelings and you go and touch something _glowing_!" She plunged her hands up into her hair, tugging on it in exasperation. "Haven't you ever seen any kind of Sci-Fi movies? You don't ever touch anything _red_ and _glowing_! It screams '_DO. NOT. TOUCH._'!" She was now panting because of using all the air in her lungs, her hazel eyes wide as she stared at her colleague.

Jane only stood there defiantly looking at her before turning and walking away, silently leading the way back outside.

"Sometimes I wonder why I took this job..." Sam shouted after her before huffing and shaking her head in disbelief as she followed behind her employee. "None of you guys ever listen to me anyway."

"You took this job because you get paid like 50 bucks every hour you're out in the field-" Jane began but was interrupted.

"No, I took this job because I wanted to contribute to science-"

"And this will only ever be how you contributed to science." Jane murmured to herself, crossing her arms over her chest as she did so.

"Hey!" Sam snapped, having heard what she said. "I don't need your 'tude, _Miss Priss_! I built an entire working Bifrost by myself so you can just shut your cake-hole!"

"Or you'll do what?" The brunette taunted, her voice taking on a mocking tone as she continued to stomp along. "If you even touch me, that's a violation of your title as 'Guardian of Earth'." She raised her hands to do the quotation mark motion, her voice taking on a deeper tone as she continued to mock her.

Sam just turned away from her, holding her hands over her ears and making random, annoying noises in hopes of blocking out the nonsense Jane kept spewing as they turned around a corner. "LA LA LA LA LA, LA LAAAA LA La!"

"See..." Jane gestured towards her, rolling her eyes as she did so. "The Guardian of the Earth is a child."

"Oh, you're calling me a child?" Sam let her hands drop from her ears, her hazel eyes flashing dangerously. "Says the brat-hole who couldn't keep her hands of the _pwetty glowing wock_!"

"I stumbled upon a scientific discovery." She tried defending herself.

"Scientific-smientific! If you mortals would stop poking your nose in things that don't concern you, you wouldn't need people like me to guard the Earth and the all the idjits who live on it! For all we know, the damn Universe could be BLOWING UP because you touched that thing!"

"How is the human race supposed to move forward if we don't explore the Universe and everything that lies in it?!" At hearing these words, Sam let an angry growl come from the back of her throat, shutting her eyes in the process. She just wasn't getting it!

Just up ahead of them though, they could see daylight and Sam was relieved to know that they were going to make it out okay and that she didn't have to argue with the brunette much longer.

"Yes, it's okay to explore the great vastness of the Universe... to an extent! But you should no not go around touching anything _RED AND GLOWING_!" She shouted at her again, feeling her fuse grow very short once again. "DID YOU EVEN _ATTEND_ KINDERGARTEN?!"

"JANE!" They both stopped arguing and watched as Darcy began to run over to them. "SAM!" They both begin to trot over to her. "Where the hell were you two?"

However, Sam stopped in her jogging when she noticed the blue and yellow cars sitting in the parking lot, blue lights flickering on top. She let out a low whining sound rise in the back of her throat.

"Darcy, please tell me you didn't call the police..." Sam murmured, a frown pulling her features down.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?!" Darcy reached into her pocket and retrieved her white iPhone, the blonde woman immediately taking it back. "Neither Stark or Rogers answered their phones and I was sent to voicemail like three times! Number three certainly didn't work! I ended up getting a 'line busy' tone! When I called his office number listed under his contact, his secretary said that he was in a meeting and wasn't accepting calls!"

"So you called the police." She murmured.

"So I called the police." Darcy repeated, nodding her head as she did so. She had honestly almost had a mini panic attack when the people she had called hadn't answered so she had to resort to her last option. "I was freaking out!"

It soon began to downpour and all three women didn't seem to notice, the entirety of their small group caught up in their discussion.

"You call the cops, they call the Feds." Jane added in as she rubbed an exasperated hand over her face. "Next thing you know, we have S.H.I.E.L.D. crawling all over 'Area 51-ing' the place."

"Jane." Her intern tried but was cut off by her supervisor.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. could manage it better than you can. We don't exactly know what we're dealing with here." Sam jutted her thumb back over her shoulder. "Based on what I saw, whatever... that was, that wasn't anything of Earth. There were Asgardian Bifrost symbols upon the floor around the column if you hadn't noticed, meaning that it was placed there and we weren't exactly meant to find it."

"Sam." Darcy tried again, holding up her index finger as if to make a point but was shot down again.

"We had a stable gravitational anomaly!" Jane then turned to her supposed supervisor. "We had unimpeded access! Our only competition was ten years old!"

"JANE!" The intern shouted, causing both women to grow silent and look over at her, surprised that she would yell. She never liked it when they would argue. "You guys were gone for five hours!"

"What?" Jane breathed in disbelief, her eyes widening upon processing what her friend told her.

"I called it." Sam stated proudly, crossing her arms over her chest in triumph. "Time ran more quickly in... the demon-spawn-evil-sand... place." However, what she said was all an after thought as she looked around her, now noticing that it was raining but she wasn't getting wet. Turning her face towards the sky, she frowned slightly as she looked up and didn't feel any raindrops collide with her bare cheeks.

Apparently Jane and Darcy noticed this as well.

"Are you doing this?" The intern murmured as they looked around them, noticing that they were standing in a dry spot.

"No. London always will and always has been rainy. This is natural rain." Again, Sam murmured this but her mind was in another place, searching for the source of the strange phenomena. Could this be another portal?

The other female only rolled her eyes as she looked at her supervisor which had since taken to looking at the ground beneath them. "I'm talking about the rain-free zone...?"

"Oh, then no." The blonde said when suddenly, thunder rumbled overhead.

Both brunettes watched as her entire body tensed and then her head slowly rose up so that she was staring straight ahead. Another bit of thunder rumbled and, strangely enough, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

However, both Jane and Darcy looked over the blonde's shoulders, only to see the one person that they weren't expecting.

The physicist felt her heart leap in her chest.

It wasn't the looks upon her employees' faces that set Sam off but it was the strange shift in the atmospheric pressure in the area.

Swallowing nervously, she then looked up at the two other girls and gauged their reactions, knowing that something, or rather, someone, was behind her.

Ever so slowly, she turned her head and the sight that met her eyes made her breath catch in her throat. She also felt her mouth grow suddenly very dry despite the moisture in the air.

"Thor." She breathed in complete disbelief.

He was there, standing in all his greatness and glory.

His red cape gently billowed in the cool wind that accompanied the chilled rain. His hair was longer than she last remembered it but it was no less golden like her own. In his hand, he held the familiar war hammer and he was clothed in early recognizable metal armor. His face was still the same as she also recalled so strongly, though his features were set in a worried frown as he gazed over at them.

Sam was brought from her though process when Jane brushed by her, pumping shoulders as she herself headed towards the God of Thunder, handing her the spike detector as she went.

The blonde female only watched her go for a moment, a frown creasing her brow as she watched as she stomped towards the Asgardian and spite Sam in her high heels, which were an attempt to level the playing field and bring them up to similar heights.

Sam still ended up winning in that battle.

As soon as Jane began to walk towards him, she woman stepped out of the dry zone around them, shouting in surprise when she suddenly got wet from the downpour, having expected the spot to follow her instead.

Both Sam and Darcy remained dry in the halo around them and the blonde woman slowly turned to fully face him.

And even as the physicist trudged through the puddles towards him in her immensely tall high heels, Sam knew that he was looking at her with those blue eyes that she recalled so easily despite the fact that he had been gone for what felt like an eternity.

She slowly began to walk towards him, curious of what exactly Jane would do. When she thought back to the last time she saw Thor, she remembered how she had kissed him. This thought made her eyes grow wide for a moment before they hardened. She certainly didn't want that again but if Jane did kiss him again, Guardian of Earth title be damned, she would tase her without a second thought.

Darcy let out a cry from behind her as the rain suddenly engulfed her, the dry spot focused solely on Samantha as she moved away from her.

However, the dry zone soon faded from the blonde as well but this was by the heroine's doing herself.

She had always had a thing for rain so she had been ecstatic when she learned that they were going to England, given that it rained there a lot. She just loved the sound of it, especially when it was at night and it pitter-pattered on the roof of her apartment. The smell was also wonderful. It was one of the only things she liked about living in Iowa. It rained but most of the time, a storm accompanied it.

Sam, however, had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter when she watched him suddenly get slapped by the smaller female, the blow to his face hardly fazing him at all but she nonetheless also winced internally. She didn't hear the words exchanged between them but she almost laughed out loud again when she again slapped him with her other hand, his face snapping in the other direction.

The blonde female soon came to stand behind Jane but slightly off to the side, at the very edge of the ring of dry ground so that the man could see her.

The God of Thunder had a small smile upon his face as he watched her approach, ignoring the useless rambling the tiny female before him was doing despite the fact that she had hit him, twice. No, right now, it seemed as though he only had eyes for Samantha.

She had not changed much in the last year or so.

Physically, she looked the same as he remembered her. Her hair and skin were really the only noticeable changes, her blonde strands lighter and the pigment of her flesh tanner. Both of these changes that she had spent a significant amount of time outside and in the sun. However, he was pleased to find that her eyes hadn't changed at all. They were still the same sparkling hazel color.

"Hi." She said quietly, startling Jane and causing her to stop in her incessant string of chatter, glancing back over her shoulder at her and frowning slightly.

"Hello." He replied back and Sam felt her heart leap in her chest when she had the satisfaction of hearing his velvet voice once again.

"Jane, the police want to talk to you." The other female informed her, her hazel eyes not even risking a glance down at her and instead staying locked with Thor's own blue pair.

For it seemed as though Samantha only had eyes for the Thunderer as well.

"What?" She squeaked.

"They need to interview you about what happened." The blonde lied, surprised that she could come up with a fib as good as that one on the spot, especially with her mind in such a haze as she gazed at the God. "Said they need you right now so they can file a report..."

The brunette only looked back at her before looking at the man before her, only turning to huff before she stomped off in the direction of the flashing lights and yellow cars.

The two Gods only stared at each other what felt like an eternity before he finally spoke again.

"Why are you standing out in the rain?" He asked her as he tilted his head to the side and she only blinked at him, one corner of her mouth pulling upward slightly.

She just opened her mouth to reply but found that she was having problems forming words. "It's...It's just an enforcer that this is... real." She murmured though she wondered if she truly was dreaming. It almost seemed to good to be true. "Are you... real?" She breathed, her hazel eyes searching his face.

Internally, the tall man winced, wondering if she would strike him just like Jane had. Her hit would no doubt hurt _a lot_ more due to her powers. However, as he looked into her eyes, he found no hostility. No anger.

After a moment of conflict in his own mind, he then stepped towards her but not so close so that they would touch, leaving about a foot between them but still bringing her into the circle free of rain surrounding him, however she didn't seem to notice.

The man held his breath as she reached out towards him, her hand extended as if she wanted to touch his cheek though she was hesitant as she did so.

Her slender hand hovered there for a long moment, her fingers shaking just above his skin, showing her nerves. He himself wanted her to touch him, to place her hand against his cheek so that he may feel that she was real as well.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her hand trembling just before it made contact with his cheek and he began to grow impatient. Not being able to stand for much longer, he too reached up and gently pressed his hand over her's, engulfing her hand entirely and making her palm come into contact with his stubbled cheek.

"As real as I will ever be." He murmured, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly at feeling the heat of her skin against his own flesh, his hand squeezing her own slightly. Feeling one corner of her own mouth pull upward, she raised her other hand to touch the other side of his face, her smile widening in disbelief and awe.

"That's a relief... I guess." She murmured, partly to herself but Thor smiled down at her nonetheless, her sarcastic attitude having been missed. "Cause I've... had a _pretty_ _weird_ day." Sam admitted, a small smile on her face as her thumb carefully caressed his cheek, as if he would vanish at any moment, her eyes darting across all his handsome face. "And when I say weird, I mean _weird_ for me. Not like regular... weird." She was now rambling but couldn't stop herself, the God's presence before her very distracting. Sam had forgotten what it was like to be around him, instead having become more comfortable around less overbearing personalities like Tony, Bruce, and Steve.

She suddenly flicked back to the real world and shook her head out a bit to clear the haze in her mind though it was difficult to do so.

"Why are you here?" She asked him quietly, her hazel eyes never leaving his as she slowly let her hands drop from his cheeks when she realized how awkward the air between them suddenly was.

Sam figured that since he hadn't shown up in the last year or so, he had to be there for some special reason. He wouldn't just take a vacation to Earth.

Seeing his own expression harden slightly, this caused Sam herself to worry. Evidently, it was bad and her assumptions were right. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

"To find you." He explained, a frown suddenly drawing his brows downward. "Heimdall could not see you." Thor explained and the blonde woman only frowned softly. "Where were you?"

"I was here." She told him honestly, her hazel eyes searching his. "On Earth." Her tone then became almost agonizingly quiet. "You... You said you were coming back... but you didn't."

At hearing these words, a flash of guilt crossed his eyes. "I know. I know but the Bifrost was destroyed and the Nine Realms erupted into chaos. Wars were raging, marauders were pillaging." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I had to put an end to the slaughter."

Sam only looked at him for a moment, her hazel eyes searching his own pair. "I understand..." She murmured and Thor's hardened expression softened slightly, almost in relief and some surprise. Without warning, Sam stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and embraced him, causing the taller man to freeze before he too wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his nose lightly into her jacket as he squeezed her back tightly, raising her off the ground but just slightly as they clung to one another. "You were just trying to protect everyone... including me." She murmured into the soft fabric of his cape as her eyes slid closed in relief, clad that he was really real.

After a long blissful moment, they released each other but both didn't want to let go so soon. Not after just getting each other back.

"I was a fool." Thor spoke suddenly, wanting to reach out and touch her again. "I should have never left you here on Midgard." Just as he wanted to do, he couldn't hold himself back so he allowed himself to carefully reach out with his large hand to cup the side of her head, his fingers lightly touching her hair which was still tied back though it was now damp because of the rain. "But, I believe that fate brought us together." He leaned in slightly and the woman felt her heart her heart beat rapidly in her chest, knowing what was about to happen. "Samantha, I don't know where you were, or what happened, but I do know this..." Thor suddenly trailed off.

"What?" She breathed, having not really heard what he had said. Instead, she had lost herself in his deep blue irises before her own irises flickered down to his lips before moving back to his eyes.

"I know..." His sentence trailed off as he himself looked down at her, his eyes scanning over her lovely features, despite the fact that they were both seemingly lost for words.

"Know what?" Sam murmured, her hazel eyes never straying from his. She could feel the pull between them suddenly, as if they were to magnets and their collision with one another was imminent, her heart rate picking up in response.

"What?" Thor breathed and should someone have been watching, the conversation between the two of them would have nearly been unintelligible.

Both of them were every so slightly leaning in. Sam let her eyes flutter shut and she felt the heat radiate off of him. She could feel his own shallow breathing upon her moistened lips and she herself held her breath in anticipation of what she knew was to come.

The hand on the side of her head over so slightly titled her face upwards and just as she felt the faintest of brushes upon her lips...

"Hey!" Sam's eyes burst open and for a moment, she only looked into Thor's eyes and she noticed the playful yet almost disappointed smirk upon his face as he continued to gaze down at her. The blonde glanced over and watched as her intern trotted towards them. "Is this you?" She directed the question at Thor and both heroes raised their eyes to the sky, causing the downpour to cease all together in one moment, both of them working on that problem.

"Oh, uh..." The blonde female looked between the God and her intern, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "We were just busy discussing... stuff."

"Well, um, I'm pretty sure we are getting arrested." Using her head, Darcy motioned back over in the direction of the cops where Jane also stood, her arms gesturing wildly as she spoke to the officers.

"Alright, I'll... take care of this." She breathed before shooting Thor an apologetic look before turning and walking towards the other brunette, feeling his eyes upon her the entire time.

Her boots splashed quietly in the various puddles lining the ground as she made her way across the parking lot.

"Excuse me, Officer!" Sam said as she came to stand beside Jane who had since become quiet.

"Who are you?" He asked, turning his gaze from the smaller brunette to the tall blonde woman who stood almost defiantly before him with her arms crossed over her chest and her feet placed in a confident stance.

"Samantha Greene." She introduced, producing a small leather case before she flipped it open to show him the I.D. inside. "Head supervisor of this research project."

The officer took the wallet from her hand, examining the license and S.H.I.E.L.D. issued permit that she was supposed to carry at all times, glancing back up at her as he compared her picture to the one on her research license.

"Is there a problem?" Sam asked him, risking a glance down at Jane before looking back to him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." He spoke in his accent as he gazed at the other woman. "This is private property and you're trespassing, the lot of you." The man's eyes then moved down to the permit. "S.H.I.E.L.D.?" He asked, looking back up at the two women.

"American government run agency." The blonde told him, her voice taking on a tone of annoyance. "Sent us physicists overseas to do research."

It seemed as though the man was satisfied with her explanation and nodded his head before closing the wallet and returning it to her where she placed it back into her jacket pocket.

"Still, you shouldn't be here." He warned them and this only seemed to anger the tall blonde. "Not with American clearance anyway."

"What we are doing will change the world." Sam protested, her hazel eyes becoming hard with frustration as she stood before the cop, her arms throwing themselves wide open.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He tried again and then he reached for her, only she swatted his hand away from her.

"I have a perfectly good permit to practice research in London." She defended herself and the man only sent her a stern look. She then reached back into her jacket pocket and retrieved the same case as before, reaching inside of it to retrieve a business card before handing it to him. "And if you have any more problems, call this number."

He looked down at it, taking note of the strange eagle symbol printed into the background with a phone number typed across the front.

"Ask for Agent Coulson or Director Nick Fury if you have any further problems." She snapped before shoving her case into her pocket and once again crossing her arms over her chest, her jaw locking into place.

The officer looked at the card for a moment before he turned to Jane. "Do you have papers and permits and all that nonsense as well?"

Raising her eyebrows, Sam looked expectantly at her smaller colleague, her arms crossing themselves back over her chest. Of course, she would have papers. Sam made sure that her employees always had their papers.

"Uh..." The brunette began, her large brown eyes shifting to look over at her boss and then to the cop, knowing that she was about to get into trouble. "I have papers... Just, not on me." She admitted and Sam's eyes widened in worry.

"I'm sorry, Miss Foster but you'll have to come with me." He told her before reaching out to take hold of her arm.

Without warning, there was a loud screeching sound and before Sam could comprehend what was happening, she was thrown to the side in an explosion of black and red energy.

The blonde hero went tumbling away before she came to a halt on the cement ground of the parking lot. She had continued to roll until she was lying down on her stomach, her hands scraped up and bloody. Sam remained there a moment, wincing as she felt pain flare up her back where her body had connected with the hard ground.

However, after a moment, she opened her hazel eyes and slowly eased herself up onto her hands and knees, the pain not horribly unbearable.

"Samantha!" She recognized the deep voice and let one of her eyes crack open as she felt a hand place itself upon her back.

"Thor." She breathed back, recalling that he was actually there on Earth.

"Are you alright?" He asked her and she only wrinkled her nose in slight pain. Today was literally not her day. First, she was trying to be blown up. Second, she had been shot. And now, thirdly, she had been thrown across a parking lot by some weird ass energy.

"I'll be fine." She told him as she tried to get up. He carefully grabbed her uninjured arm and helped her from the ground. Sam then groaned as she felt something in her back pop into place. "I've had worse."

Once straightened, they both looked over to where Jane also lay on the ground, seemingly unconscious. "Jane!" Thor called to her before moving from Sam, already knowing that she was alright.

He knelt down at the brunette's side who was thankfully coming back into consciousness. "Thor?" She said back, both her mind and body a bit weak due to what had just occurred. "What just happened?"

"Place your hand on your heads. Step back." A younger policeman commanded them right before Sam limped her way in front of them, acting as their protector due to the fact that the God of Thunder was a little occupied.

"Let us take care of this." She told them, holding her hands up to show that she wasn't a threat to them. "Whatever that was, you humans shouldn't be dealing with it. You are the ones that need to take a step back." She warned them.

"This woman is unwell." Thor told them, still holding the weakened Jane up so she didn't collapse again, her knees incredibly weak.

"She's dangerous." The man replied, holding his night stick tightly in his hand, flashing a look between the two blondes, not believing them.

"So are we." The Thunderer replied, sending the man a dark look should he try to touch either of the two females.

Not liking what the God said, the officer began speaking into his wakie-talkie. "Requesting armed response officer to scene."

"Samantha." Said woman turned back upon hearing her voice, her hazel eyes wide when she realized they were going to be arrested. She was only slightly worried though. Fury could get her out of any of the shit she got into. Thor reached out towards her, taking her wrist into his hand before pulling her towards him. "Hold onto me."

"What?" She asked but nonetheless did as he told her, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he used his hand, which contained Mjölnir, to hold her tightly to his side. His other arm grasped onto Jane who was fading in and out of the conscious world.

She turned her head to look at Thor for a moment who also turned back to look at her, a small smile on his face before he turned to look up at the sky.

Hearing a strange hissing noise, she watched as burn marks began to form upon the ground around them which she then recognized and a grin lit her face up.

The Bifrost.

Raising her own head skyward, she beamed as she watched a bright array of light beam down upon them before they were lifted off the ground and into the sky. Being shot off into space, the blonde female could only look around in shock and wonder as they rocketed through the cosmos at almost an impossible speed, her eyes not being able to take in everything around her.

The trio passed through solar systems and flew by stars. They sailed through collections of cosmic dust and continued upward through a rainbow stream of light, passing by other planets and into different realms.

At some point, Sam felt herself laughing in pure glee of what she was seeing and doing, never having thought she would actually be able to be transported in the Bifrost and on her way to Asgard.

As their journey soon came to an unfortunate end, Thor came walking through the portal, half carrying both females through the glowing flashes of light as they came to stand in what appeared to a huge domed room.

Releasing her hold around his neck, Sam would have appreciated their contact further, had her attention not been directed other places. She stepped away as she gazed at the golden and glimmering room around her, having not thought that this would be what it looked like inside of a Bifrost.

"Can we do that again?" Sam breathed, glancing back at Thor who in return beamed back at her.

She continued to admire the beauty of the room, taking in the cogs and gears that twisted as the different parts of the room rotated, astounded that it was such an intricate piece of work. No wonder it took a long time to fix it.

However, as she did this, she recognized a surprisingly familiar person standing in the center of the room.

"Heimdall." She said, her hazel eyes nearly glowing with amazement as a large grin pulled back her lips, knowing that he was the Guardian of Asgard but she hadn't expected to see him upon her arrival.

The man dressed in his regal, golden armor only released his hold that he had on the recognizable large sword inserted into the center of the Bifrost, a smile upon his face as his own golden eyes seemed to glimmer down at the young Goddess, a familiar fondness in them.

He only looked at her for a moment, before opening his mouth to greet her in his deep voice. "Welcome to Asgard, Samantha."

* * *

**Well, there you have it. Sam has made it to Asgard. Thor came back for her. They almost kissed. Everything is still hunky-doory. Kinda. **

**The second chapter of Back in Black is up! Yeah, yeah!**

**Thanks for reading guys! A few reviews would be nice! Haven't gotten any so far for this story. **

**If you haven't read the other installments of this story, go and read those first because they clear everything up!**

**Thanks again for reading guys!**

**YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!**

**Love,**

**Blue**


	3. Chapter 3

Sam could only beam widely and let her head continuously swivel side to side, her hazel eyes wide as she took in the wonders of Asgard. Given the number of times Thor had tried to tell her of this home, this was nothing in comparison.

When they say a picture, or rather, going there in person, means a thousand words, they were right.

Asgard was beautiful.

Even the ground, erm, bridge they walked on was spectacular. Flickers of multicolored light raced along it beneath them and if they continued on their path down it, they would then reach the city. Just below them, a sparkling and crystal blue sea gently rolled in waves towards the shore.

The large city before them was made up of many elaborate and intricate spires, all of them reaching and stretching up towards the sky. It in itself was huge and compared to the cities back on Earth, she felt so small and insignificant in the shadow of all the enormous buildings.

In the very center of the vast settlement lay a particularly huge and towering building. Judging on the awe-inspiring architecture of the building, Sam could only guess that it was the All-Father's palace.

Behind the city, a huge and majestic mountain range stretched for as far as the eye could see. The sky above them was a wonderful shade of azure and a few lazy clouds drifted across the wide expanse of the Asgardian atmosphere.

Thor only glanced back behind him to find that the blonde woman was openly gawking at the foreign city before her, a huge smile upon her face.

At seeing her so pleased with his home, the God of Thunder felt a smile upon his own lips. Reaching out, he extended his hand towards her but since she was not paying attention, he simply took hold of her own hand.

When she felt this sudden additional heat on her palm, she turned her head to find the taller man smiling down at her, his eyes shinning with pure joy at seeing her so amazed by his home.

"Why didn't you bring me here sooner?" She teased him lightly, her hand gripping back onto his own while her eyes fell back to the city around them. They were walking at a leisurely pace back along the rainbow bridge with Jane walking ahead of them, her own brown eyes wide as she took in the sights of the city.

Thor simply smiled again and didn't reply, having missed Sam's mirthful personality in the time that they had been apart.

She was as radiant, if more, than when he had last seen her. Her hazel eyes still sparkled like a reflection of a forest in a still pond. Her lips continued to draw back in numerous wide, amazed smiles. Her hair still shined golden in the sun and her cheeks were a soft pink.

"What's that building?" She suddenly pointed to the one that towered over all the others, drawing him from his state of reverie.

He turned his head back forward, tearing his eyes away from her face so that he could look to where she was gesturing. He then easily recognized the building Samantha seemed so taken with.

"That is Valhala, Odin's Palace... And where I was born." He told her, his blue eyes sparkling with obvious pride.

"Is that where we are going?" She asked him, her eyes still taking in the wondrous buildings that drew nearer with every step they took. And the closer they got, the more she began to notice the art carved into the wonderful stone homes, looking very Celtic in origin with its twisting and turning knots and woven patterns, though she figured that the Celts got their inspiration for their knot-work from the Asgardians when they first ventured to Earth all those years ago.

"Indeed. We need to take Jane to the healers to see if they can solve this problem."

"Do you think they can really help her?" She asked him quietly as she nodded towards the woman who was also gazing around in dumbstruck awe like Sam only moments ago.

Thor simply gazed at the back of her for a moment, his brow furrowing softly. "I do not know."

This was then the end of their conversation and as they drew ever closer to the palace, the Thunderer let his hand slip from Samantha's, a reluctant look in his eyes that also told her he was sorry. She only sighed quietly through her nose and nodded her head, her own eyes showing her reluctance. She understood that he didn't want to show so much affection for everyone to see, lest the news of it reach his father.

It wasn't long before they passed into the shadow of Valhla and walked through the huge golden doors that were swung outward. A guard stood watch on either side of the entrance, spears and shields clutched tightly in their hands.

Upon seeing the God of Thunder, both of them nodded their respects towards him before resuming their stoic expressions and concentrating on their work.

Once again, Sam felt her mouth fall open as she gazed around the interior of the building. It was huge!

The hall that they walked into was immensely vast and seemed to go on forever in every direction. Huge, thick pillars filled the hall on either side of them, leaving a wide walkway for them to follow onward. The floors off to the side of the main walkway were raised and short steps were dotted between every set of columns, allowing for people to ascend to the upper floor.

Again, Celtic design was abundant around them, carved eloquently into the stone columns and also into the walls of the grand hall.

The hall was lit by the light streaming in through the open doors behind them but also through the towering windows off to the sides. The three, immaculate circle windows before them illuminated a grand, golden thrown that sat empty at the very head of the grand and seemingly endless hall.

However, Thor would not allow the two females much time to gawk, for he veered off suddenly to the left and climbed one of the sets of steps to the raised floor. He then disappeared into an open doorway and the women had no choice but to follow him.

Eventually, they arrived in a smaller part of the palace, one that was also light by tall windows and a few various oil filled basins with a flame burning inside, serving as a torch.

A number of beds lined this room, many of them unoccupied but as they proceeded forward, they would find the occasional man sleeping upon the cots, obviously having sustained some sort of injury.

It wasn't long that they had been walking through the hall before a woman approached them.

"It has been some time since you graced our hall with your presence, my lord." The older, brunette woman told him, bowing her head slightly as she did so.

She had held a slightly stern expression on her face before she had addressed the god, a warm smile then coming to her face as she spoke to him. She held a motherly baring about her and Sam could only guess that she was a nurse... or a healer... in Asgardian lingo.

Thor simply smiled down at her. "It is not very often that I become injured, Ewa." He told her, an almost triumphant tone in his voice.

"Indeed but usually when you are, you are certainly a mess to behold." She teased back and the god smiled slightly again while shaking his head.

"I fear that you are right." It was quiet for a moment in the hall and Sam watched as the, who she assumed was a healer, woman's eyes flickered over the god, silently checking him over for injuries. When she deemed him well, she then let her eyes travel to his two companions, her eyes widening and her brows raising with interest at the sight of the strangely dressed women.

Ewa looked at Jane for a long moment before she turned her head and her eyes rested upon the blonde female.

"Hello." She greeted her with a friendly smile, her blue eyes carefully scanning her over. As the healer looked at this younger woman, she could tell that there was something different yet familiar at once. She was _very_ different from her other female companion who was shorter and had doe-eyed, brown irises.

"Hi." The younger woman replied to the older healer's greeting.

The woman just smiled at her for a moment longer before turning her gaze to Thor, a sparkle suddenly entering into her eyes. "Is this the one that you told me about?"

"What?" Sam asked in confusion, looking to the man in the process. He only glanced at her and for a moment, the goddess swore that she saw a slight blush dusting his cheeks.

"Erm, yes. This is Samantha." At hearing this, the heroine extended her hand and the healer gently took it and gave it a single shake.

"Oh my!" The woman cooed as she released Sam's hand, quietly clapping her own hands slightly in glee, a giddy smile upon her face as she looked back to Thor, leaning towards him slightly as if to whisper to him. The nurse then began to quietly talk to him, her hand covering her mouth so that the blonde could not see her lips.

Thor then smiled again and nodded slightly. "Indeed."

"I've heard so much about you." Ewa said as she beamed at the blonde woman.

Sam couldn't help but let her lips twitch up slightly in a smirk as she noticed the almost irritated look on Jane's face, the brunette nearly having been forgotten when their conversation began.

"Really?" The blonde asked, turning slightly to look at Thor whose eyes shone with fake innocence, his gaze directed elsewhere in the room as he attempted to dodge her gaze.

"Only good things, I assure you." Ewa told her, the warm smile once again returning to her face. The healer then turned back to the tall God, the smile faltering slightly as worry began to pull at the back of her mind. "Is there a reason you are visiting my hall, my lord? Unless... this is a tour of the palace..."

"No." He told her, his eyes suddenly flickering back to his two companions, glancing for a moment at Samantha before his blue irises rested upon Jane. "Actually, we require your services."

"Indeed?" She inquired, raising a brow in question.

"This woman has fallen ill." He told her as he carefully reached back and wrapped his hand around the small brunette's arm, tugging her forward slightly so that she could be seen.

The healer stepped forward without missing a beat and rested the back of her hand upon the physicist's forehead while her other hand went to check her pulse at her wrist.

"With what?"

Thor opened his mouth to answer her but instead, an indiscernible sound came out.

Raising an eyebrow, he then turned to Samantha who only looked back at him, her hazel eyes sparkling with worry as she herself made a face of uncertainty before speaking. "I'm... not sure."

"Well, I assure you, Lady Samantha, there is nothing that our Asgardian medicine cannot cure." She promised the blonde before releasing Jane and turning before gesturing for them to follow and proceeding down the hall.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that..." Sam murmured, the only one who really knew what Jane was infected with.

The older woman led them further into the infirmary. It wasn't long before she beckoned for some of the other healers to join them and soon, there was a whole group following behind the Gods and the small mortal woman.

They followed Ewa into a separate room, one that was significantly darker than the rest of the "hospital". It had a singular table in the center of the room with a bright white light shinning up from a source beneath the glass.

A few of the younger healers helped Jane up onto the table and she laid down.

Thor only glanced sidelong at the goddess at his side, finding that her brow was furrowed softly as she watched the procedure being conducted upon the Midgardian woman.

Sam watched as strings of golden light jumped between the curved frame that was stationed at each corner of the rectangular table.

Ewa then sent the blonde woman a small smile when she noticed both Thor and her standing quietly off in the dark corner, watching the medical examination. The older healer then turned the golden streams lit up and a field of shimmering sparkles filled the air around the strange table.

Watching with interest, Sam felt her eyes widen slightly as she watched a peculiar set of controls appear before the older woman as she turned to the machine before she placed her fingers in the strange golden sand and turned the knobs.

The blonde felt her mouth fall open slightly as she watched as the golden energy made a replica of Jane's body before it lifted up into the air just above her.

However, disturbingly enough, a strange, red sand swirled inside the holographic version of the brunette.

It wasn't long before another healer, this one much younger than Ewa, approached them. She quietly informed the goddess that her name was Azana. She stood quietly with the both of them for a moment before Thor could no longer help himself and had to ask, wondering what exactly was going on.

"This is not of Earth? What is it?" He asked the smaller woman, his blue eyes trained upon the swirling, red energy.

"We do not know." She admitted to him, letting her brown eyes flit to the two Asgardians. "But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her."

At hearing this, Sam felt her eyes widen in horror. She had also been hit with the weird metallic sand and she could only take a good guess that some of it was inside her as well.

Letting her eyes trail back to her intern, she watched as she reached out to try and touch the gold energy.

"Quantum field generator..." Sam murmured quietly, causing Thor to look at her with curiosity. He only raised a brow in her direction, silently asking her what she was speaking about. She then straightened slightly and pointed back at the machine before them. "It's... It's a quantum field generator..." He smiled at her slightly, his blue eyes sparkling in the low light of the room. "We have them on Earth." The God only reached out and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"It's a quantum field generator, isn't it?" Jane asked suddenly and Sam couldn't help but let one of the corners of her mouth pull upward slightly.

"It's a soul forge." Ewa corrected her as she continued to adjust the dials.

"Does a soul forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?" The brunette replied and the blonde scientist waited with baited breath, wanting to hear the healer's response.

"Yes." The older woman replied with surprise evident in her voice.

The physicist just looked to the two spectators standing off to the side. "Quantum field generator." She whispered to them, giving them a thumbs up.

Sam continued to let her lips pull upward slightly. At least her employees were book smart though they didn't contain any common sense.

"My words are mere noises to you that you ignore them completely?" A resounding voice suddenly called from the corridor that led into the room. Both Thor and Sam turned their heads when they caught sight of a man glad in fine metal armor. He had snow white hair upon his head and he had a patch covering his right eye.

"She is ill." The Thunderer told the man, a soft frown pulling down his features.

"She is _mortal_." The man accused again as he stepped further into the room, waving his hand as he did so, causing the golden energy above Jane to disappear. "Illness is their defining trait."

"I brought her here because we can help her." Thor told him and Sam risked a glance back at Jane who was frowning slightly when she heard the man's words.

"She does not belong here in Asgard any more than a goat belongs at a banquet table." The older man told the Thunder God as he walked into the room, passing by the brunette on the table, a disapproving frown upon his face.

"Did he just...?" Jane sat up and shot the two of them a look, clearly not enjoying being compared to a goat.

When Sam locked eyes with the physicist, she could see in the anger in her brown irises and the blonde heroine knew that she was going to snap at the elder man.

"Jane..." She warned her, her voice echoing off the room but apparently it wasn't enough to stop her.

"Who do _you_ think you _are_?" She growled at him, whipping her head to the side in her anger.

The man turned to her sharply. "I am Odin, King of Asgard." At hearing this, Sam felt a small groan escape the back of her throat and she raised a hand to scrub it over her face in frustration and embarrassment. "Protector of the Nine Realms."

"Oh. Well, I'm-"

"I know very well who you are, Jane Foster." He told her, his voice holding an icy tone.

"You told your dad about me?" Jane asked him as she looked back to both heroes. Sam didn't even look up from where her face was buried in her hand, a frown pulling her lips down.

For the first time ever though, Sam was glad that Thor hadn't spoken much about about her in the time that he was gone.

"Something is within her, Father." The god dismissed the physicist's words and walked partway around the table. "Something I have not seen before."

"Her world has their healers. They are called 'doctors'. Let them deal with it." Odin told his son. "Guards, take her back to Midgard."

"My Lord! Wait..." A new voice rang out in the room. All heads turned to look at the blonde woman who took a few uncertain steps forward, for once the unyielding confidence that she had wavered when the King's eye fell upon her. "I am not sure that our doctors can deal with a virus like the one Jane has contracted." Sam told him, her hazel eyes gleaming with uncertainty.

"Ah..." The older man said as he took a few steps closer to her, his face blank of all emotion. "You must be Samantha."

The woman only felt her eyes widen slightly as he continued to gaze at her, his one good eye looking her up and down.

She glanced at Thor who stood quietly off to the side of the room, one of his hands covering his mouth and his own eyes showed how anxious he was. Evidently, he _had_ told his father about her.

"Uh... Yes..." She paused for a moment, wondering if her wording was right. She wanted to make a good impression after all. "... My Lord?"

"I wasn't aware that you were on Asgard." He said, also risking a glance to his son, an almost accusing glint in his eye. "Tell me..." He paced slightly around the room. "How is Earth?"

"Earth is... good?" She told him, a questioning tone in her voice. He looked at her for a long moment and she decided to continue speaking. "It's safe... or it was when I left anyway."

"Yes, I was informed of your employment in the role of Guardian of Midgard." Odin said, his good eye continuing to assess her form. "Which also makes me question why you are here and not there..." He told her and she stiffened slightly. "Tell me you are not slacking in your responsibilities?"

"Father..." Thor stepped forward, extending a hand in hopes of showing the older man reasoning in her being there.

"Silence." The King warned his son, shooting him a glare. Odin then looked back to the blonde woman, raising his brow as he motioned for the woman to continue.

"Uh..." Sam only glanced at Thor, uncertainty in her eyes. "Yes, I left my station but I assure you, Earth is well protected by my comrades in my absence." She turned to look at her fellow woman who still remained seated upon the table. "Jane is my employee at my job when I am not busy dealing with crimes upon Midgard and I was concerned for her well being."

He was quiet for a moment. "I see..." He murmured, looking to the Thunder god who only nodded in confirmation. "However, it seems that you are not needed here on Asgard." He looked between both women. "Either of you. Your duty is calling and it would do you well to return to your realm."

Sam only looked at him for a moment, her eyes full of slight anger upon hearing his words and being dismissed so easily like she was a dog. Just as she was about to say something, she apparently remembered who she was talking to and stopped herself from saying something rude.

"Very well..." She said quietly and nearly everyone in the room was shocked into silence, Jane being the one stunned the most. Sam hardly backed down from anyone, whether it be a physical or mental battle. She was well versed in both aspects.

The sound of metal scrapping against itself was heard and Sam felt two hands wrap themselves around her biceps before she was going to be led away. Risking a glance back in Thor's direction, she watched how his brow furrowed deeply and a frown pulled at his features as he watched her be escorted away.

More armor clinking together could be heard and the Thunder god turned his head to the side as he watched more guards approach Jane.

"No, I would not-" He was cut off as a wave of red and black energy burst off of the woman, sending the men flying across the room. "-touch her." He finished before walking back to her side as her head lolled to the side as the virus left her weakened.

The guards at Sam's sides immediately released her arms and instead gripped their spears tightly in preparation for another attack.

"Jane, are you alright?" Thor asked her and she weakly nodded her head, not yet being able to speak.

Odin walked back across the room and took hold of Jane's arm, running his hand over it to reveal the strange red glow beneath her skin that was traveling through her veins.

"It's impossible." He murmured after a moment, his eye trained upon the red energy.

"The infection... It's defending her." Ewa stepped forward from where she had been leaned up against the wall, the entire medical case very strange yet it was still intriguing.

"No." Thor murmured, the cogs in his mind turning rapidly. "It's defending _itself_."

He then turned his blue eyes to Sam, his brows furrowed softly as he looked at her. Her own eyes were wide with fear as she gazed down at Jane and then he began to wonder why she herself was suddenly so fearful.

And then it began to dawn on him. Both Jane and Samantha had been invisible to Heimdall's sight so that must mean that they were together and if Jane was infected with the virus then that meant that...

"Come with me." The All-Father suddenly spoke, drawing the God from his thought process. He then raised his eye to Samantha. "It would be best if you accompanied us as well." He told her and she nodded.

Thor helped Jane down from the table, helping her to stand on shaky legs. After a moment, she deemed that she was fine and Odin began to lead the way out of the room, Sam just behind him, her hazel eyes fixed upon his back.

The Thunder God frowned softly as he watched her go. She was most definitely not herself or at least how he remembered her to be. Not in that moment, anyway.

She was almost too stern for his liking, too silent and inexpressive. However, he only reasoned that this was because she wanted to impress his father and was on her best behavior so as to not give Odin reason to hate her or even kick her out of Asgard.

The four people only made there way back through the palace before they walked through another towering archway.

"There are relics that pre-date the universe itself. What lies within her appears to be one of them." The King told them before he turned slightly and looked back at the young blonde heroine. "And you yourself, Samantha, are lucky enough to own one of these ancient objects."

Her brow furrowed softly for a moment but then she was struck with realization. "Chatnír?"

"Indeed." Odin murmured before once again proceeding forward and leading them into the room at the end of the corridor they had been walking down.

Sam once again felt her mouth fall open in awe as she gazed up at the huge tree in the center of the room. Nestled in its branches were what appeared to be small universes but Sam quickly reminded herself that they were indeed _realms_.

"The Nine Realms are not eternal." Odin continued to speak. "They had a dawn as they will have a dusk and your weapon was there at the dawn." He told Sam as their small group moved passed the huge tree into a library where he drew a thick book off a shelf and placed it upon the table in the center of the small study.

Once again, Sam's brow furrowed softly and for the first time, she wondered where the aforementioned orb was.

However, she pushed that thought from her mind as she watched as Odin carefully opened the book and Sam immediately felt a wonder-filled smile pull at her lips as she watched the pictures on the pages move as the light above swept over them.

"But, before that dawn the dark forces, the Dark Evles, reigned absolute and unchallenged." Odin explained before turning the page to show a group of so-called 'Dark Evles' standing below their supposed leaders.

"'Born of eternal night the Dark Evles come to steal away the light.'" Thor recited and it was apparent that he had most definitely heard these very same stories before. "I know these stories. Mother told them to us as children." He confirmed her suspicions.

_Us..._ Sam suddenly thought to herself, her hazel eyes narrowing slightly and she found it interesting that Thor still included... well, _him_... as his brother. She didn't even want to think his name. She hadn't forgiven him for what he had done to her, Thor, or the people of Earth.

"Their leader, Malekith, made a weapon out of that darkness and it was called the Aether." He pointed at the picture and the three others watched as a strange metallic liquid swirled upon the page, hazel eyes widening in recognition. "While the other relics often appear as stones, the Aether is fluid and everchanging." Odin explained. "It changed matter into dark matter. It seeks out host bodies, drawing strength from their life-force. The stronger the life force, the more that the Aether is attracted to them." He continued on and the words caused all three other people in the room to frown softly. "Malekith sought to use the Aether's power to return the universe to one of darkness. But after eternities of bloodshed, my father, Bor, finally triumphed ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years."

"What happened?" Jane asked, breaking the short bout of silence in the room.

Odin turned to look at her, his face blank of all emotion. "He killed them all." He told her quietly, his good eye dropping down to the floor.

"How can you be so sure?" Sam also asked, suspicion rising in her chest. He turned to look at her, his face becoming stern. "I mean... To wipe out an entire race is a _huge_ feat... You don't think at least a few of them escaped?"

"And... the Aether was said to have been destroyed with them and yet here it is." Thor added, going off of the blonde woman's words.

"The Dark Elves are dead." He assured the two, his tone showing just how determined and sure he was of his father's actions. It was quiet once again in the room, all their minds consumed with the story that they just heard.

"So... How are we supposed to get it out of Jane? I mean, there isn't exactly step-by-step instructions on how to do it..." Sam finally spoke up and the All-Father turned to look at her.

"I do not know." He told her, turning another page in the book and finding that it was lacking in information. "However, just as the Aether was born of the darkness, Chatnír was born of light."

Sam only listened as the man explained, her brow furrowing softly as she contemplated his words.

Odin then turned to another page of the book and sure enough there lay a picture of her loyal little orb, bright and shinning as it sat upon the page. "Legend tells that the orb was born as a star and it was found floating through the Universe, its original whereabouts and creator unknown." She nodded her head in understanding, watching as he flipped to another page, showing an Asgardian holding it in his palms. "The weapon was centuries old by the time the first King of Asgard discovered it. And yet, he could not wield it."

At hearing this, Samantha felt a curious look cross her face as she gazed at him, a question lying in her hazel eyes. She shifted slightly in place, resting her hand upon the table top so that she may gaze more closely at the pages. "Why couldn't he?"

"Chatnír chooses its master." He told her, a small smile turning up one corner of his mouth. He watched a spark of recognition flashed through her eyes. She was aware of this fact, no doubt she was aware that the orb had chosen her as its most recent wielder. "And it has always been that his master has been a woman."

"Why?" The blonde repeated her question again, her mind briefly flicking back to Rán and she began to wonder just how many women had had her orb as a weapon.

"No one is for sure. It is only just another mystery in the Universe." He told her, flipping to another page in the book and showing the powers that the weapon possessed. The wind, lightning, and water flowed endlessly across the page though a bright and sparkling light came from the core of the polished stone. "And if Malekith has really returned and the Aether has been found, with the orb, the Dark Elves will fall easily to its power and the light will snuff out his darkness." He told them and Sam suddenly felt uncertainty in her stomach. "You have it with you, do you not?" He asked her then, searching her person for the aforementioned weapon.

She reached down and felt the empty pockets of her jacket and her cargo pants, finding them to be empty, save for her phone and car keys. "Uh..." Sam suddenly felt her cheeks flush deeply as he gazed at her with his good eye, feeling as though it were boring into her very soul. "I did not bring him with me."

At hearing this, the King frowned softly but nodded his head after a moment, finding that this was not so much of a setback. "Very well. Call him here." He motioned towards the balcony on the other side of the study.

She slowly nodded her head and turned away from them then, walking over to the open doors across the room.

Raising her hazel eyes to the blue Asgardian sky, she extended her palm outward and released a deep breath through her nose before shutting her eyes. She then began to reach out with her mind, her eyebrows pulling downward softly as she pushed passed the walls of the realm and searched for him out in the vastness of the Universe.

She remained like that for a few moments, her palm turned skyward and Thor only watched her from behind, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorway that lead to the balcony, a small smile upon his lips. Her long ponytail tossed gently in the warm breeze sweeping across the palace and all was quiet for a moment.

Odin also stepped up beside him, calmly gazing at the female, his face void of emotion.

This worried the Thunder god slightly. He had yet to get a reading on his father. He wanted to know what he thought of Samantha. He wanted to know if the King accepted her as the goddess that she was and whether he would allow her a place in Asgard where she truly belonged.

After a few long moments passed, Thor watched as the woman suddenly let her hand fall to her side, her palm still empty. He could tell something was wrong simply by the way that she was standing.

"What's wrong?" He called to her, pushing off from where he had been leaning and straightening up.

A few seconds passed and she said nothing before she turned back to him, her brow furrowed deeply and a fearful look in her eyes.

"I... He didn't come." She told them, her eyes flicking to the older man for a moment.

"Is the distance too great?" Thor asked her as he came to stand at her side, his eyes searching the sky for the familiar blue ball of light, knowing that it should have been on its way. For he knew what she was feeling, for at times, he had also felt it with his beloved hammer.

"It shouldn't be a problem." Sam told them, her own hazel eyes turning upward again. "I once dropped him over an ocean on Earth and he fell all the way to the bottom of a deep crevice and still, he returned when I called him."

"That is strange then." Odin murmured, his hands clasping behind his back. "Perhaps you should try once more?"

Sam only turned back to look at him, shaking her head slightly. "No..." She said quietly, her eyes glistening with worry. "I... I can't feel him." She told them and Thor gazed to the King and the two of them locked eyes for a moment, worry evident in both pairs. "At _all_. It's like he's just... gone. Or something is blocking our connection..." She mused as she stepped forward, her hand bracing on the railing of the balcony, her eyes lost in thought as she stared out into the distant sky. "He's always been there..." She murmured and Thor walked up beside her, placing his large hand upon her shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze. "Always."

"Where was it you last saw him?" Odin mused, causing both of the gods to turn and look back at him.

She looked at him a moment before her eyes dropped to the ground as she tried to sift through her memories.

"Didn't you almost shoot me with it when we found the Aether?" Jane's voice came from inside the library where she had been lagging behind, studying the books upon the shelves. She found the entire thing very interesting.

Sam tensed suddenly, as did Thor and Odin. It was silent on the balcony for a moment before both gods simultaneously turned their heads to look at the blonde female, a worried look in one pair of eyes and a suspicious glint in the other.

For another agonizingly long minute, it was quiet and the air around them was thick with tension.

Odin suddenly took a deep breath in through his nose. "So, you were there as well when the mortal woman discovered the Aether?" He questioned her, his tone even and not giving any hints that he was angry.

Sam's eyes were trained upon the ground beneath her booted feet, finding it to be very interesting. Oh, how she didn't _want_ to be having this conversation.

"Yes." She replied quietly, her hands curling into fists, knowing that she had been caught. The blonde then looked up at him, a guilty look flooding her irises as she finally gave in and decided to tell him the truth. "I apologize for not telling you but I thought nothing of it." She told them, gesturing towards Jane. "The Aether attacked her and I had no choice but to intervene."

The All-Father narrowed his eye at her words, worry building in his chest. Thor also shot her a look of concern but she ignored it.

"Did it touch you?" The King asked quietly, walking over to stand beside the railing of the balcony a good distance from them. A soft frown pulled at his features as he continued to mull the many thoughts over in his mind.

"When it latched onto Jane's arm, I only reacted naturally and tried scaring it off with lighting and it seemed to work..." She told them before taking a deep breath, knowing that the next bit of news wouldn't be pleasing to hear. "But, then it decided that it did not want Jane and instead grabbed me."

Again, it was quiet.

"This news is most disturbing..." Odin rumbled, his hands placing themselves upon the railing. "Why did you not warn us sooner?"

"I thought it was no big deal. I haven't felt any affects like she has so I thought that I wasn't infected." She turned her hazel eyes to Thor who gazed down at her, a troubled look in his own eyes.

"Come." The All-Father spoke quietly and the blonde turned away from the Thunder god to look at him. He held his gloved hand out and was gesturing for her to approach him.

Walking the short distance over to him, he immediately reached down and took her hand into his own before he ran his fingers over Sam's forearm just like he had with the physicist.

And, to both their horror, the red energy flowed through her veins. Her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest and her breathing became more frantic. The last time something like this happened, she had nearly _died_.

The Extremis had nearly killed her and she had been lucky to escape that mess alive.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder again but didn't have to look to know it was Thor who was pressed right up against her back as he himself looked at the infection in her blood. Just the aura he emanated told her that it was him but in that moment, it didn't matter. Her hazel eyes only gazed at the red energy.

"So... It's inside me..." She said quietly, her voice wavering with fear. She had suspected this and it seemed as though her fears were coming true. Looking up at Odin, he only nodded with a solemn look upon his face. "Why hasn't it attacked when people touch me?"

The King thought about this a moment, his eye flickering as he searched his thoughts for an answer. "Perhaps the powers bestowed upon you by your orb are protecting you from the poisonous substance in your system."

"Just like it did with the Extremis..." She murmured under her breath, the cogs in her own mind turning rapidly as she thought back to the pain she had felt as the two forces waged a battle inside of her.

"Pardon?" Odin asked, his eye flickering up to look her in the face.

"Nothing." She told him and he released her hand, letting it drop back down to rest at her side.

"It appears that you are in no danger at the moment." The older man told her and she stepped back from him slightly until her back pressed itself against Thor's chest, the shock still making her body feel suddenly weak with fear. Yet the firmness of his body behind her helped her mind anchor itself and she was able to begin to clear her head of all that she had just been told. "But, we will keep you under observation in case your condition worsens." She nodded her head in understanding. "You are welcome to stay here until we solve this problem." He told her before turning and leaving the other people out on the balcony, having other urgent matters to attend to.

It was quiet between the three of them for a moment and Thor continued to lay his hand upon the woman's shoulder and he could feel how tense she still was. He was not sure but he also swore that he felt a small quiver of fear run across her body.

Letting a deep sigh escape through his nose, he squeezed her shoulder again in an attempt to reassure her that all was well.

"You heard what my father said." He rumbled and his voice vibrated through his chest and into her back. "You are in no danger, Samantha."

"Yes, that is what he says but I don't believe it." She told him, her brow furrowing deeply as she looked down at her black boots again. A thought suddenly struck her and she stepped away from him then, her shoulder slipping from his grasp. "You shouldn't touch me." She told him, worry flashing through her irises. "The Aether could attack you at any moment."

Thor only felt the corners of his mouth turn ever so slightly upward. It made his heart warm to know that she cared about his well-being so much. Her concern was cute and he found that it amused him slightly. It wasn't he who she should be worrying about.

"It didn't me attack before." He reminded her, letting his hand drop to take hold of her own. "The All-Father implied that it was dormant." He was able to hold it but only for a moment before she pulled it away, the fear still evident in her eyes.

"I don't want to take any chances..." She told him quietly once she saw the hurt flicker momentarily into his eyes, wanting to give him an explanation as to why she was acting so strangely.

The Thunderer only looked at her for a moment before he released another deep sigh through his nose.

"Very well..." He glanced back at Jane who was gazing out over the city before her. He then looked to the blonde woman whose brow was still creased. He felt a frown pull down his own features for a moment, not liking how upset she looked.

He wanted to see her smile. He wanted to see her laugh. He just wanted to be with her. Not the solemn and worried woman that stood before him now. He wanted the cheery Samantha back.

And then, an idea struck him. Maybe, if he could get her mind off the virus, she would open up to him and allow him to show her his affections once again. Being separated all those long months had made him miss her touch and he ached to hold her as he had nearly a year ago.

He remembered how she had seemed so amazed simply by the architecture of the city and decided that he would show her around in hopes of taking her mind off the Aether and the other dark thoughts in her mind.

"I'll show you to your rooms then." He murmured before turning and began leading the way back into the palace, his sharp mind still working fervently on his plan to make Samantha happy once again.

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry it's been awhile. I've been really busy lately. I had to attend my cousin's wedding last weekend and even before that, I had been working on my Hobbit story.**

**I've also been doing Insanity which is a crazy ass work out if you don't know what it is. I'm always really sore and tired after doing it but as the days have passed, it's gotten easier so I've found that I've been writing in my free time.**

**Anyway, yeah.**

**It would be nice if I got more feedback on this story. I honestly don't know if you guys like it because I haven't heard much back from y'all. So, reviews would be nice.**

**So, yeah. The story is now presented in the problem. Sam has the Aether in her but luckily, her powers are protecting her but we'll delve more into that later. **

**I guess that's all I really gotta say...**

**So, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!**

**Love,**

**Blue**


	4. Chapter 4

She had been lying on the bed when there was a solid knock at the door. Raising her head up off the agonizingly soft covers, she opened her eyes and looked towards the entrance to her room, feeling aggravation and frustration sweep over her.

"Come in." Sam called towards it despite her reluctance before she lay her head back down on her arms, knowing that it was probably another servant who came to check on her again.

She had been in the room little more than an hour and had successfully scrubbed away what little dirt had been on her skin with water that had been provided to her by a servant girl named Mina. The blonde had only just tossed her jacket aside and striped her top off when she felt a warm rag press itself to her back. Of course being in a strange place and knowing only three people in an entire realm makes one a bit paranoid so Sam reacted a bit dramatically but it was absolutely called for. She had immediately stepped away from the source of heat and whirled on her attacker, finding that it was only the young redheaded servant from before. When asked what the hell she was doing, Mina only replied that it was her job to help and take care of the Lady Samantha, hence she was helping her to wash up.

The goddess only let out a deep sigh when she saw the almost fearful look in the girl's eyes. She then frowned softly, looking off to the side of the room for a moment. She only had been doing her job after all, Sam hadn't actually meant to yell at her but once again, she had snuck up on her and touched her in a way that would be considered intimate to Sam but to other royals, it would be normal.

Feeling bad that she had freaked out on the servant, Sam quietly apologized and said that she didn't need help washing up, that on Midgard, they didn't have servants to do simple, everyday tasks.

This had bewildered the redhead for a minute but she had nodded nonetheless and left out the door, telling Sam that if she needed anything, all she had to do was call.

Finally left alone to herself, the blonde woman had finished washing herself after a few short minutes. Then, she had taken her ponytail out and brushed her hair at a vanity off to one side of the room before climbing upon the huge bed where she had dozed off slightly as she lay on the luxuriously soft covers in the chambers that Thor had taken her to.

Glancing up from her place, she felt her hazel eyes widen with surprise when it was the Thunder God himself who was the one who entered into the room and not the young servant. He beamed when he caught sight on her lounging on the bed, evidently at ease with the entirety of the situation presented to her despite what had happened a few minutes before.

She sat up and gave him a small smile, finding that he had instead gotten rid of his long, red cape and it was replaced with a blue cloak. "I thought you had forgotten about me." She teased him slightly, causing him to chuckle as he approached, his boots pounding quietly upon the marble flooring and echoing throughout the vastness of her room.

"On the contrary actually. I think it near impossible to forget about you, Samantha." Thor told her as he came to stand beside the edge of the large bed.

This caused the blonde woman to blush, not used to hearing such sweet words despite the fact that she lived with Tony Stark for months. She had heard plenty of those types of remarks towards Piper and even Steve had said similar things to another blonde woman who lived at the end of the hall on his floor in his apartment complex but in all those months, something so endearing and smooth was never directed towards Sam.

She figured that it was the fact that she hardly spoke to anyone who didn't work for S.H.I.E.L.D. or wasn't an Avenger.

Honestly, she didn't get out much and talk to the inhabitants of Earth. Yes, she protected them and their planet but she didn't converse with them unless absolutely necessary. And when she did, it usually involved something along the lines of prodding for information or somehow ending up with her getting shot at.

Also, despite that she was now aware that she was somewhat of an attractive woman, Sam couldn't help but wonder if they were intimated by who and what she was. She was technically no longer human and could command the elements with just a thought.

It wasn't exactly a turn on for most men, she figured.

Her hazel eyes dropped to the deep blue fabric of the bed spread, her fingers running absentmindedly over the soft blanket. However, when she glanced up she noticed that he had one arm held behind his back as if hiding something from her.

The God smiled widely when he noticed her curiosity and took another step forward until his knees were pressed to the edge of the bed. He beamed down at her before he brought what was in his hand into view.

"For you." He said and Sam gasped in awe as he held his hand aloft, a clump of vibrant and fresh flowers extended towards her.

An amazed smile graced her features as she carefully took them from him. She immediately buried her nose into the sweet smelling blossoms, basking in the heavenly aroma that they emanated. Drawing back, she carefully touched the delicate petals, all of them varying in size and color. Sam also failed to recognize a single one of them, for she guessed that they were all Asgardian in nature and therefore had never been seen on Earth.

"Where did you get these?" She asked quietly as she continued to gaze at them with a certain fondness. No one had ever brought her flowers before and she found it the sentiment to be very endearing.

"The royal gardens." He told her honestly and her eyes widened with disbelief as her eyes flashed from the blossoms to the god's eyes.

"What?" She asked quietly as she began to panic internally, knowing that she was not worthy of such beautiful flowers, especially ones that were from Odin's special garden. "I... I cannot accept these! These flowers-"

"Samantha." He told her, causing her to grow silent upon hearing him speak. He dropped down heavily onto the bed beside her, the mattress dipping beneath his weight. "You forget that I am the Prince of Asgard." Thor told her, a small smirk turning up one corner of his mouth as she looked at him with guarded eyes, her hands still holding to the stems of the flowers. "I am free to take whatever flowers I wish. For these will one day be mine..." He told her, shifting slightly on the bed so that he was closer to her. Her hazel eyes briefly flickered up to him, taking note of the soft look in his eye as he ever so slightly began to lean towards her. "And therefore am allowed to do with them as I please..." He whispered the last part to her, his blue eyes sparkling with a warm emotion and she had to look down and away from him as nerves suddenly twisted in her stomach.

Despite the fluttering in her stomach, she couldn't help but feel her breath catch in her throat when he slowly reached a hand up and tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear which had fallen out of her ponytail. His fingers lingered there for a long moment before they then brushed against her cheek, causing her to ever so slightly turn her face towards him.

Her eyes flickered up to look into his own blue eyes and then down to his lips which were close to her own pair. She licked her lips and Thor let out a deep breath, one that was warm as it fanned out across her face. She relished in the heat that seemed to emanate from his body and when she looked up into his eyes once again, she saw a soft yet excited glow in his blue irises.

He had missed her.

His nose brushed against the side of her own and Sam felt a shuddering breath escape her throat. However, just as he was leaning in to press his lips to her own, she turned her head away so he instead only kissed the air. Thor's brow furrowed softly as he drew back to look at her, not understanding what was wrong and why she didn't want him to kiss her.

"I'm not safe." She told him, her voice soft and full of sorrow. "You shouldn't touch me."

Once again, the god felt frustration sweep over him. Odin had declared that Samantha was not dangerous at the moment yet she still continued to fear the power within her. And yet, all that the Thunder God wanted to do was to touch her, the one thing that she did not want him to do.

But then, another startling thought struck him. Could she have come to... desire another man? What if she had found another while she was still keeping watch over Asgard? What if she had instead given up on _him_? What if she had thought that he was never coming back and moved on?

"It's not you." Sam added as if she had read his mind, her tone still soft as she now gazed at her fingers on the bedspread. "It's... the Aether."

At hearing this, Thor felt a weight lift off his chest and he let a relieved sigh out through his nose. However, his plan to distract her from the Aether still lingered in his brain and he could only gaze at her with his brow furrowed before he dipped his head and stood up off the bed, not wanting to push her boundaries.

"Come then." He told her as he began to walk backwards towards the doorway, risking a glance back at her over his shoulder.

"Where are we going?" The female asked him suddenly as she too slipped to the edge of the bed and rose, the flowers that she had been gifted now forgotten on the bedspread. However, the blond god knew that the servants would check on the room soon enough and find a vase for his gift to the goddess.

"I'm going to show you around Asgard." He told her and he watched as she crossed the room to retrieve her jacket which had been discarded upon one of the chairs placed around the fireplace in her room.

The blonde stopped then and looked at the clothing that had also been laid out for her, her hand resting upon the leather of her coat for a moment.

"Um..." She paused before looking back at the god, a question lingering in her irises. He only raised a brow, beckoning for her to ask what she had on her mind. "Do I need to change?" She held up the dress so that he could see what she was talking about and he felt the previous frustration leave him when he saw the downtrodden look on her face.

He smiled softly when he saw the displeased look cross her face as she glanced back at the gown.

"Perhaps just the vambraces." He crossed the room and picked the pair of arm guards up from where they had also been deposited on the chair. "You most certainly do not need a dress where we are going."

He extended the metal braces to her and she gazed at them for a long moment before she took them into her hands and began to strap them around her forearms.

"Where are we going that I need to wear armor?" She asked him, a faint glimmer in her eye and Thor was relieved that he had somewhat taken her mind off the poison she was currently playing host to.

"You'll see soon enough." He told her and when she finished with her work, he then quietly led her out into the hall with Sam just a few steps behind him.

The Thunderer then guided her down a series of halls before they suddenly emerged outside. The warm Asgardian sun shinned down upon them as they emerged from the darkened corridor and it was only a moment later that Sam's eyes adjusted and she was met with a most intriguing sight.

Before them stretched a huge training area that consisted of a wide number of bridges that all seemed to go on for eternity. All sorts of men were scattered across the expanse of the training grounds, all of them dressed in shining and polished armor. Swords flashed in the overhead sunlight and clashed against each other as the warriors battled among themselves. Battle cries and the clanging of shields intercepting weapons also filled the air and for a moment, Sam felt as though she were suddenly dropped right into the center of a military camp.

In the courtyard below the two heroes, a loud cheering was heard and they both watched as a woman with jet black hair flipped a man onto his back before she pressed her sword to his throat, a triumphant yet expectant smirk upon her face.

Just as quickly as she had placed the blade there, she had removed it and helped the male warrior up from the ground.

The surroundings guards all teased the man who looked sheepish from just being bested by the woman who was still smirking. However, after a moment it seemed, she felt eyes upon her and looked up to see Thor and a blonde woman at his side, her brown eyes lighting up when seeing her old friend.

"Care to join us, my lord?" She called to him and the god smiled softly before turning and descending the staircase to his right without a word. The lady warrior watched with interest as the strange female followed behind him, though she seemed a bit reluctant to do so as she gazed at their surroundings and the battling men in the distance.

"Not today, Sif." He shook his head slightly but his eyes shone nonetheless with amusement. "I fear that I have other affairs to attend to." He said and turned his head so that he may look at the woman who now stood quietly beside him. "Sif, this is Lady Samantha of Midgard."

The dark haired warriror's eyebrows raised slightly upon hearing the name, for she knew of this woman.

"Greetings, my lady." The female inclined her head slightly as she gazed at the blonde, silently assessing her and weighing her apparent strengths and weaknesses. "I hear of your new guardianship of Earth. A mighty and time consuming title if I'm not mistaken?"

"I'm always busy." Sam told her, her hazel eyes shinning warily at the woman before her but she nonetheless spoke with an air of confidence that the lady warrior picked up on. "Midgard never seems to be at peace."

"As is the nature of most realms." Sif told her, shifting her grip on her sword slightly as she plunged the tip into the ground. It was quiet between them for a few moments as the dark haired woman looked to the tall god, a mischievous glint showing in her eyes. "It has been an honor to meet you, my lady. Thor has told me much about you."

"So I've heard." A spark of playful annoyance filled Sam's hazel eyes as she turned to look at the aforementioned god who was smirking slightly at her. She was evidently the talk of Asgard and she hadn't even known.

"He tell me tales of you and your wondrous powers that were bestowed upon you." Samantha nodded her head in accordance with her statement. "He told me that Chatnír had chosen you as his new master." Again, the blonde nodded and Sif felt a smirk pulling at her lips, her eyes briefly flickering to the god who saw this mischief in her eye and began to panic, knowing what she was about to do. "Would you care to participate in a duel with me so that I may test your powers as a Midgardian warrior?" The dark haired woman gestured to the open courtyard before them.

Thor only risked a fearful glance at Samantha, knowing that she was not the same type of fighter that his dark haired friend was.

Sif was a warrior who was trained in the ways of the blade and shield. Sam was not. She was a woman of the elements and fought with her powers and fists instead of a weapon.

"I don't think this wise." He spoke up then, voicing his concerns as he watched the female warrior walk over to stand in the center of the training arena, waiting for the blonde woman to accept her challenge.

When he looked to the goddess at his side, he also saw a bit of reluctance in her gaze but when she realized he was looking at her, she steeled herself and proceeded forward, dismissing his worry and feeling anticipation enter her gut. "It will be fine." She waved him off before joining his old friend in the sand.

"I will let you choose the weapon, Lady Samantha." Sif told her as she walked over to the rack where all the items were stored, gesturing towards the rack of sharp blades and spears.

"Uh..." The blonde heroine looked over the assortment of spears, swords, and other crude looking items laid out before her, not knowing which one to pick. She didn't have any idea how to use a single one of them. "We can just use swords I guess..."

Sif quickly picked up a second sword and tossed it to the blonde who was able to catch it by the hilt though it was by pure luck that she did so. She could have dropped it and stabbed her foot. The weight of the blade was foreign in her palm but not heavy in hand given her inhuman strength which she was immensely grateful for.

Still, Samantha didn't know how to wield it but she would try her damndest to do so.

The woman watched as the dark haired lady warrior twirled her own blade expertly in her hand, a smirk upon her face. Yet, when Sif risked a glance over at the Migardian, she felt her smirk grow larger, knowing that she was about to humiliate the woman in front of all the guards in the courtyard who had since retired to the sides to watch the fight that was about to come, knowing that it would be an interesting one.

Sam took her jacket and tossed it to the side, leaving her only in her wife beater, her once hidden physique now visible, causing the men to murmur slightly in they took in her toned arms and stomach, most of them now betting that she was stronger than Sif was and at least stood somewhat of a chance in the duel.

From what Sif could tell, the guardian of Earth was a woman who had never seen a battlefield despite what Thor had told her about the Chitauri invasion on her planet. No, she did not look like the brave and courageous warrior that he had said she was.

She looked as though she were a lowly peasant instead of a goddess, even then still in her simple Midgardian clothing.

"I've never used a sword before." Sam told her and the dark haired woman was brought from her thought process by her words. Upon processing them, Sif could only frown in disbelief.

"Don't worry." The woman told her. "I'll go easy on you." And with that, the fight began.

Without much warning, the warrior lunged at the blonde woman whose eyes were wide as she ducked out of the blade's path. Sif swung at her again and just as before, Samantha dodged the weapon with surprisingly grace and speed. However, on the third swing that the woman sent her way, Sam raised her own sword up out of instinct.

Sam was a bit proud of herself that she had actually blocked a hit to begin with but that was shoved away when a solid kick was delivered to her stomach. All the air rushed from her lungs as she was kicked back. The blonde fell back onto her rear in the sand, her sword lying beside her. For a moment, the blonde only lay there, trying to regulate her breathing after having just been kicked by what felt like a horse, her abs throbbing in pain.

After she felt like she was somewhat normal again, she was able to open one watering eye so that she could see the warrior before her. Sam was only met with a smirking Sif and the warriors on the sides of the battle laughed when they saw the triumphant look on the dark haired warrior's face.

However, when Sam looked over at Thor, she found him standing beside his comrades yet he was not laughing.

He was looking anxiously at her, worry shinning in his eyes as he crossed his arms tightly over his chest. After she caught his eye, the God of Thunder nodded his head, prodding her to continue for the sake of her own pride.

For he was the only one present who knew of her skills.

Sam was going to continue whether Thor urged her to do so himself. For she had felt a spark of anger ignite itself in the very pit of her stomach. She had never been one to be laughed at, even in all her years of high school and college, she hadn't let hardly anyone push her around.

For even though she hadn't been physically intimidating, Samantha Greene had been smart and had a way with insults and curse words. No doubt since she had begun to live with Tony, the insults had gotten better in the past year.

"Is that all you've got?" Sam winced slightly as she sat up, reaching for her sword as she did so. Scooping it up into her hand, she eased herself back up onto her feet, impressing most of the gathered crowd and even Sif herself.

Sam wasn't finished yet. Not even close.

Her hazel eyes hardened as she stared back at the black haired warrioress and releasing a deep breath through her nose, she raised her bare hand up to the sky.

All who had gathered watched with curiosity and even some mouths fell open as the sky above them began to blacken as clouds began to darken it. They churned and writhed upon each other and a few bolts of lightning flashed across the sky, quickly followed by a few low rumbles of thunder. The blonde heroine only looked at the woman opposite her, a smirk upon Samantha's own features. Raising her head upward again, she stood waiting for a moment as she let the anger in her take hold.

A singular bolt of lightning then jumped down from the black sky, connecting with the flesh of her palm.

The men standing around felt a sense of awe wash over them as they watched the blue sparks dance around her, seemingly having no affect on the woman as it flowed through her systems, replenishing the electrical current in her body. Sam then calmly lowered her eyes from the sword, feeling the power swell within her. She herself felt a wave of satisfaction wash over her when she saw the nervous look flash across Sif's face as she shifted in place, adjusting her grip upon the sword bared in her direction.

Almost as if the lightning had given her a confidence booster, the blonde woman stepped forward and swung her blade haphazardly at the female warrior, blue sparks raining down from the metal as their swords clashed against one another.

However, it wasn't long before the Sif knocked Sam's blade from her hand with a mighty attack, only for it to be thrown off to the side and landed tip down in the deep sand.

This didn't deter the blonde Midgardian, for now instead, she was even more confident if possible. For she had never been good with a blade but was very powerful only armed with her fists.

Also over the last few months, Sam had become a formidable foe without a weapon. Natasha, Clint, and Steve had schooled her in a number of martial arts and different styles including kickboxing which was her favorite. If she hadn't been good before, she was even better now and was confident that she could easily take someone down just using her bare hands.

Being patient and waiting for Sif to undoubtedly attack, Sam clenched her fists together, her hands loaded with mild electrical pulses that weren't dangerous but would still hurt if she touched someone. When the warrioress did swing at her, the blonde stepped to the side and was able to wrap her hands around the other woman's wrist before tightening painfully around the appendage, sparks radiating across her skin. The dark haired woman yelped in pain before she was forced to drop the sword.

Now evenly matched, it was Sam's turn to go on the attack.

Bringing both fists up to her face, the woman struck out but her punch was blocked. However, the warrior evidently wasn't ready for the other fist which connected with the metal plating upon her abdomen, causing her to grimace slightly as she felt a dull yet bearable pain settle in her gut. The dark haired woman however moved to punch Sam as well but the Midgardian caught her fist and shoved it away.

A twinge of pain bled up Sam's arm after she had punched the metal plating but other than that, she paid no attention to it. For a moment the two of them stood there, only facing off.

Without warning, Sif took off and kicked up sand in her wake as she made to reach her sword. However, it seemed as though Sam was faster and she raced alongside her contender until she intercepted Thor's friend. Lashing out with her foot, the sole of her leather boot connected strongly with her side, sending the woman to land down in the sand with a shout of surprise.

Sam felt a wave of triumph wash over her when she took note of the deep dent and the scorch mark in the woman's armor from where her fist had successfully connected. The blonde woman herself didn't have any armor, except the vambraces, but she was used to taking punches and being tossed around like a rag doll by the Hulk. So, she could take a few hits if she really needed to.

The men along the sides only continued to stand by and watch, murmuring their agreement when talking about the earthen guardian. She was tougher then she appeared and was evidently a force to be reckoned with by the way she was fighting Sif. They now understood how she was the lone Guardian of Earth.

Sif climbed to her feet, her eyes blazing with anger before she swung at Sam again who was able to block it with the metal lashed to her forearms. The dark haired woman herself let out a hiss as her knuckles broke against her armor.

However, when Sam moved to hit the other woman, the warrioress moved to the side at the last moment, sending the blonde woman stumbling forward and leaving her side wide open. The dark haired woman took this opportunity and slammed her fist down into the unprotected, soft flesh of her side. Sam grit her teeth as she intercepted the blow and immediately retaliated with a sharp jab with her shoulder into the joint of her shoulder blade.

When Sam regained her footing, she turned sharply on the woman and clenched her fist tightly before slamming it into the sharp plate of armor, just above her lower back. The force behind the hit caused the dark haired woman to go flying forward until she landed face first in the sand.

All the men around them were silent, having watched as the metal had nearly wrapped itself around Sam's fingers. No doubt that punch had actually hit skin and would bruise tomorrow.

For a moment, the only sound in the courtyard was the rushing of the nearby waterfalls.

"You may be good with a sword..." Sam clenched her fists as she stood above the warrioress who turned over to look up at the blonde. "But I'm better with my fists." She told the woman before letting her fingers go slack. The blonde then reached a hand out towards her, offering up a hand towards her as a sort of truce.

Sif only looked up at her for a moment, a mistrustful look flickering across her eyes before she suddenly decided to resign her pride and clasped arms with the blonde. Sam easily pulled her up off the ground so that she once again stood upon her own two feet.

"I hope I didn't hurt you too badly." The heroine teased slightly as she used her index finger to tap on the dent in the side of Sif's armor. The dark haired woman then shook her head, a small smile pulling up one corner of her mouth when she sensed that the Midgardian female was trying to be friendly and humorous.

"I'm sorry that I underestimated you." The warrioress told her, sincerity shinning in her brown eyes though there was also a bit of guilt, too.

Samantha then laughed quietly, her own eyes sparkling with amusement. "It's okay. A lot of people have and a lot of people will continue to underestimate me." She told her and this caused the other warrior to beam as well. "I'm... sorry that I dented your armor."

"It's nothing that a smith can't fix. Don't worry about it." The dark haired woman winked at her which caused Sam to falter slightly but she nonetheless smiled. Sif then patted her bare shoulder before moving off to pick up her sword and getting back to sparing with the men. However, the woman paused when she heard Samantha speak once again.

"Um, Sif...?" The dark haired woman turned back around to look at the Midgardian. "Could you... maybe... teach me to use a sword?" Sam asked quietly and the warrior only looked at her for a long moment before smiling and nodding.

"You have heart." The other woman told her before smirking slightly and raising her blade. Using the tip of her own sword, Sif motioned to the blonde's."So, I may be able to find time to teach you the ways of the blade." Sif told her while twirling her sword expertly in her hand before she took a battle stance.

And as Sam stood there, watching the dark haired woman, she then decided that she might just be able to get along with the Lady Sif.

* * *

With a loud laugh, the earthen guardian wiped her sweaty forehead on her wife beater as she approached the edge of the training arena where a basin of water lay. The dark haired warrior was just behind her also was grinning widely and the two of them placed their swords upon the rack before walking towards the tub and dunking their hands inside.

Cupping their hands, both women drank deeply and then splashed some of the water up onto their faces.

The two of them had been going at it for a couple hours. Sif was adamant about teaching her everything she could about swordplay and Sam had been more than happy to learn from her.

Once you got passed the intimidation factor, the dark haired woman was actually very friendly though, Samantha was almost positive that the warrioress would not enjoy Jane's presence just as she didn't.

"You're improved already." Sif complimented the blonde after she caught her breath, raising her eyes up to look at the woman across from her.

"Yeah. This stuff with a sword..." Sam gestured to the surrounding area and then to the weapons. "This stuff isn't that hard." She told her as she splashed some more water up onto her face before lifting the hem of her shirt and wiping her dirty skin. "I should have started ages ago."

"With time, I believe you could become a great swordswoman." The warrioress told her as she wiped her hands upon a rag clipped to the side of the bin, her own skin covered in sweat and grime.

"One as good as you?" The blonde jested with a smirk upon her face as she watched the woman's reaction. Sif's lips twitched momentarily but she ended up smiling fully anyway.

"Not quite as good as me..." The warrior told her and Sam just beamed and shook her head before pushing her sweaty bangs from her face.

Suddenly feeling a presence approach, both women looked up in time to see Thor approaching them with a brunet man at his side. A man that the earthen guardian easily recognized and she felt her eyes widen in surprise.

"Greetings, my lords." Sif bowed her head in respect and the blonde would have done the same but instead, she only stared at the man beside the Thunder God with her hazel eyes.

"Greetings, Lady Sif." The armored man also nodded his respect to the dark haired woman. He then looked to the blonde and he opened his mouth to speak his own surprise but it seemed as though the Midgardian beat him to it.

"Forseti?" Thor shot her a look of surprise but the darker haired man at his sighed only laughed slightly, his eyes sparkling with amazement.

"Samantha." He replied back, extending his arm towards her. Remembering the gesture, she clasped forearms with him. "I thought that your arrival on Asgard was a mere rumor." Forseti then looked to Thor, a wide smile on his handsome face before he then looked back to the woman. "Though, your presence here has proven that rumor to be true."

"It's good to see you again, my friend." She told him, inclining her head slightly. Sif and Thor only exchanged a curious look, finding it unlikely that the two of them had met before yet here they were, conversing as if they were companions.

"How goes your guardianship?" He asked her as he shifted his grip upon the spear in his hand.

"It is good." Sam admitted as she looked up at the sky, taking note that the sky was growing pink and orange as the sun began to set. "All was well on Earth when I left so I can only hope that I left it in good hands."

"Ah, yes." The man also turned and looked off into the distance in thought. "I'm guessing you left it in the hands of the iron-clad man?"

At hearing the title, Samantha couldn't help but laugh and upon hearing the sound, Thor felt his own lips draw back in a large grin. "Yes, I suppose that I did leave Tony Stark to look after Earth while I'm away."

"Was that so wise?" The God of Thunder finally spoke, stepping into their conversation though Sif looked confused about the whole thing. Thor remembered the dark haired man and found that he was one of the most childish of their group of friends so it caused him worry that Sam left the entire planet to him.

Once again, the blonde woman shook her head but her eyes shone with amusement. "He's grown up a lot since you last saw him." Sam replied as she wiped more sweat from her brow. "Midgard is actually pretty safe."

"I'll have to take your word for it." The blond man told her and after that, the courtyard grew quiet.

Most of the soldiers had finished training and had retired for the evening yet still a few remained behind. They, however, were off further in the distance so that the four of them couldn't hear their sparing session.

"Are they holding a feast in your honor?" Forseti spoke up suddenly but Sam frowned softly before looking to Thor for an answer who only shook his head.

"Samantha's arrival was not all that welcoming." The blond god told the other two warriors. "She did not come here on very positive terms." He explained before the dark haired god raised an inquisitive yet worried eyebrow.

"What did you do, my lady?" He asked her, a teasing smirk on his face as he looked at her. "You didn't cause another planet-wide storm did you?" At hearing this, Thor frowned deeply.

Samantha had been accidentally releasing storms again?

The woman had been smiling up until that point in the conversation, finding that his words about the storm wasn't what had bothered her so much. It was the poisonous substance pumping fervently through her veins, threatening to unleash itself as soon as her powers fizzled out.

Sensing the damper in her mood, the God of Justice also frowned as he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He should have held his tongue. "Samantha, I'm sorry-"

"No, it's okay." She told him quietly as she raised her arm and traced her fingers over the bare flesh of her upper forearm. "I... I just got sick."

The man's blue eyes flickered up to the Thunder God's face, silently asking what was wrong but found that his own eyes were trained on the blonde female. Once again feeling guilty, Forseti bowed his head in shame before he decided to make it up to his earthen companion.

"Tell you what..." He spoke up finally, hoping that his schemes would work to improve her mood. "Since the All-Father will not celebrate your arrival, it seems as though we will have to do it ourselves." The dark haired man looked to Sif and then to Thor, who still had eyes only for Samantha, a worried glint in his azure irises. "What say you to having a few drinks down at the tavern?"

Sam only looked up at him, her hazel eyes shinning with both excitement and curiosity before she turned to look at the Thunderer. "Can we go?" She asked him quietly.

At seeing the hopeful look in the female's eyes, the man only sighed deeply and smiled softly at her. "I suppose we can make time to have a drink or two with your new companions."

Watching as Samantha beamed widely, he felt warmth once again pass through his chest yet he couldn't help the worry that still lingered in the back of his mind, wanting to ask the Midgardian goddess about what exactly had happened while he was away.

* * *

**Hey guys!**

**Sorry I haven't posted in a really long time! I've once again been really busy with my other story. It's going really well and I'm really enthusiastic about writing it, which makes writing this story not as exciting. **

**Anyway, yeah. Sam met Sif. They didn't really like each other in the beginning but they seem to mesh together well. **

**And now, the next chapter is going to be at the tavern where Sam get to meet the rest of the gang! Plus, we will get some more Thor/Sam fluff and some Sam/Forseti conversation. **

**So, thanks again guys. Please continue to review. They really make my day and bring large smiles to my face when I get to hear from you guys. **

**Anyway... YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, READ AND REVIEW!**

**Love,**

**Blue**


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